Cilka's Journey (The Tattooist of Auschwitz #2) by Heather Morris (Adult Fiction Book Review)

Cilka's Journey
(The Tattooist of Auschwitz #2)
by Heather Morris
Published by St. Martin's Press
on October 1, 2019
Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, WW2
Length: 352 pages

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Synopsis:
In this follow-up to The Tattooist ofAuschwitz, the author tells the story, based on a true one, of a woman who survives Auschwitz, only to find herself locked away again. Cilka Klein is 18 years old when Auschwitz-Birkenau is liberated by Soviet soldiers. But Cilka is one of the many women who is sentenced to a labor camp on charges of having helped the Nazis--with no consideration of the circumstances Cilka and women like her found themselves in as they struggle to survive. Once at the Vorkuta gulag in Siberia, where she is to serve her 15-year sentence, Cilka uses her wits, charm, and beauty to survive.

My Thoughts:

Cilka's Journey begins as Auschwitz is liberated but her freedom is still far out of reach. The role she played in The Tattooist of Auschwitz labels her as a spy and she is shipped off to fifteen years in prison in Krakow and then Siberia. There, she is awarded small luxuries compared to what her fellow people received in Auschwitz and her good luck wins out when she is awarded a job that gives her opportunities to help her fellow prisoners.

"She is just surviving... There is no one way to do it."

I read (and reviewed) The Tattooist of Auschwitz a few months ago and enjoyed the hopeful story despite the horrors of the Holocaust. Cilka's Journey had a very similar theme of hope, love, and looking forward to the future but also covered the many hardships that women suffered throughout Auschwitz and in prison.

My only complaint is the similarities between the main characters. Each is randomly given an important job that sets them apart and gives them purpose, privilege, and a little more to share amongst the other prisoners. Both Lale's and Cilka's stories are supposed to be based in fact but the similar 'lucky streaks' make it seem a bit disingenuous.

I would recommend this duology to readers of historical fiction that would prefer to read Holocaust fiction without crying their eyes out. Both have endings that readers will enjoy.

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The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (Adult Book Review)

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

by Heather Morris

Published by Harper

on January 27, 2018
Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction
Length: 262 pages

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Synopsis:

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tatowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. 

Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism--but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion.  Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive. 

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her. 

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions. 

My Thoughts:
A harrowing but hopeful tale of a Jewish man who survives Auschwitz and the love story he built there.

Lale Sokolov, a Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz, speaks many languages, including German, and is quickly put to work as a tattooist who inks the numbers on his fellow prisoners. This job awards him small incentives such as extra rations and freedom to come and go within the camp. Meanwhile, he has fallen in love with the beautiful Gita and uses his privileges to help her and as many others as he can, trying to survive so he and Gita can be together forever.

It was strange to read a Holocaust story that revolved around love. Every other story I've read has been so sobering but this one was at least a little hopeful and that made it stand out a lot.
Lale's perspective was also new to me. He held a job in the camp for years and was able to get himself into all sorts of mischief in that time.

My only (small) issue was with the writing which was quite simple or maybe just to the point and nothing more. I wish there had been a little more to it and it almost seemed like I was reading something transcribed from a recording at times. There was no flowy or overly descriptive prose but that did help keep it short and sweet as well.

I would definitely recommend if you enjoy WWII / Holocaust fiction.

3.75 out of 5 stars

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