Berlin, 1989. As the wall between East and West falls, Miriam Winter cares for her dying father, Henryk. When he cries out for someone named Frieda - and Miriam discovers an Auschwitz tattoo hidden under his watch strap - Henryk's secret history begins to unravel.
Searching for more clues of her father's past, Miriam finds an inmate uniform from the Ravensbrück women's camp concealed among her mother's things. Within its seams are dozens of letters to Henryk written by Frieda. The letters reveal the disturbing truth about the 'Rabbit Girls', young women experimented on at the camp. And amid their tales of sacrifice and endurance, Miriam pieces together a love story that has been hidden away in Henryk's heart for almost fifty years.
Inspired by these extraordinary women, Miriam strives to break through the walls she has built around herself. Because even in the darkest of times, hope can survive.
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[It couldn't be rushed]***
(Lake Union Publishing, 1 September 2019, 396 pages, e-book, borrowed from @AmazonKindle #PrimeReading)
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I wanted to read this book because I loved the title and the cover. I'd never heard of the author so had no idea what to expect. I loved this book. I was so absorbed in the characters and their lives and the world's they occupied I didn't want the book to end. I was gutted when I reach the final page, my eyes red from crying. The Rabbit Girls alternates between the 'present' which is 1989 when the Berlin Wall is coming down and Henryk and Frieda's past in Auschwitz and a compelling love story. The Rabbit Girls of the title are young women experimented on in Auschwitz and their story is truly disturbing and made it hard to read the book at times because I found it so distressing. Miriam's story in the present is also disturbing as she struggles to hold onto her freedom after escaping a bullying, abusive husband threatening to have her committed unless she obeys him. The author does an impressive job of blending the different threads together to create an unforgettable book.
