Book of the Week

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Recommended by Henry Drewitt-Jones

Before I consider this book, I feel it is my duty to tell you that I am a 14 year old.  I am far from emotional maturity and yet this novel brought me to tears.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a stunningly written portrayal of the true story of Lale Sokolov.  It follows his path into Auschwitz and eventually, luckily for him, out of it.  Lale's story is a near impossible one to summarise - in my copy it took the author 267 pages to explain it fully: to explain it, I must delve into the character of the protagonist, which Heather Morris does so brilliantly.  Lale's character takes the best-seller through a tale of heroism and strength, horrifying deeds and pain, but also survival: it really shows you an individual war. 
Lale is a quiet and respectful man.  He does not stand out. He works hard for self preservation - effectively, to survive is his way of fighting the Nazi regime. The reader feels as though he goes on Lale's journey with him.  He starts as an innocent young man trying to survive by impressing his oppressors, and ends with the same simple attributes of love and respect but a new appreciation for freedom of sadness.  For by the end of the novel, his reaction to pain dulls and it seems whilst in the camp he accepts death and misery as a feature of day to day life, waiting for better times to truly remember and come to terms with it. 

The power of this novel is incredibly important for me: as aforementioned, I am 14 years old and understand the war in terms of numbers, politics and leadership.  I cannot understate the humanising nature of this novel. Seeing the intricacies of day to day life in the camps, and relating to Lale on a personal level brought me so much closer to the pain suffered by the persecuted Jews.  Obviously, I will not ever truly understand their suffering, but I believe this novel is as close as an outsider can get.

It is a book of characters: the reader becomes close to and empathises with every one.  Many of them are abused physically and mentally. The book focusses on a close knit circle of girls - Gita, Cilka, Ivana and Dana - whose job is to sort through the dead Jews' belongings, and Lale's relationship with them, as they risk their lives to try to save each other.  It also shows the warmth of the gipsy community, who welcome Lale.  It reveals different reactions to life in the camp, and the overwhelming care individuals show to each other depicts a closeness and love only created by such suffering. On a personal level, we see the romance growing between Lale and Gita, despite the horrors they must endure.

Overall, I would recommend The Tattooist of Auschwitz to any reader who wants to bring themselves closer to the past - who wants to be disgusted, horrified and yet surprised by bursts of hope within the bleakest of features.  I would recommend it to all.