My Son’s Secret – Book (ARC) Review

My beautiful boy…
Created in love… born into hatred.

There were so many terrifying stories about the Jews. People called them useless vermin, filthy, dangerous. Before I met Abram, I was afraid of them too. But I am about to tell you a very different story – a forbidden story.

My love for Abram defied all reason…as well as German law.

Tonight our son giggles with excitement as he blows out the candles on his birthday cake. But our safety is nothing but an illusion. As his candles burn out, a window shatters outside. The room shudders as the synagogue down the street is engulfed in flames.

Kristallnacht has begun.

When my hidden paradise crumbles like a stack of cards, I must do everything in my power to protect that which is most precious to me. My son’s secret must remain hidden.

No. of pages:- 344 pages

Date published:- 10th June 2021

Genre:- Historical Fiction

Rating:- 4.5/5 stars

Many of you all know–I love historical fiction but MUST be based on Holocaust or WWII!! And this book is no exception.

Basically, this story is between two sisters–Kara and Anka. The two sisters come from a dysfunctional family–their father is always drunk and abuses their mother and also towards the sisters, particularly towards Kara. Kara, being the responsible older sister tells Anka stories. One day, Kara goes to the Jewish part of time and meets a Jewish man named Abram, who owns a bookstore and shares Kara some of the books that are forbidden in Nazi Germany. The two eventually fall in love–which is forbidden in the Nazi law and Kara becomes pregnant and secretly lives with Abram and his mother, giving birth to a son Karl. Anka meanwhile marries a Nazi and starts sharing Nazi ideologies with her husband. So when Kristallnacht happens, Kara must hide her son’s identity as a half Jew.

I only have one word to say this book–WOW. This book is simply amazing. Tear jerking and a bit emotional at times to read too, but the romance between Kara a German girl and Abram a Jewish boy was captured beautifully in the book. Despite the fact that the story is a fiction, the situation was realistic that I was drawn to the book and got so engaged into the story that I simply couldn’t put it down! The author has made this book as realistic as possible, probably would have done tons of research about Jews during the Nazi period and Kristallnacht. The ending…ok at first, I thought I have missed a page or something that I thought the ending was abrupt with so many questions hanging in the air–but then I realize that this book was actually a sequel and so the author did a good job leaving the cliff hanger in the end, making the reader thirst and want to know what is going to happen next in the book!!! It was really good!!!

Characters wise, I simply liked both Kara and Abram though I sympathize with Anka–many Germans, particularly the younger ones were brainwashed into believing the Nazi ideologies and the fact that Jews were the problem of everything. It was sad and heartbreaking when you realize that despite the story being fiction, these things did happen in real life.

Overall, I cannot wait for the next book to come out and cannot wait to read more books from this author–worth four and a half stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Roberta Kagan for the book. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I am an USA Today Best Selling Author of Historical Jewish Fiction mainly set during World War 2. My father was Romany and my mother was Jewish, When I was very young I learned about the Holocaust. I couldn’t understand how something like this could happen. So, I began to research and learn more. I met with survivors. I even met with children and grandchildren of SS officers. But I still had no answers. I cannot say that I have all of the answers to all of my questions even now. But what I do know is that soon all of the survivors will be gone. Their message must be remembered, the sacrifices that they made must not be forgotten. And so I humbly and with the utmost humility I try to tell their stories. It is painful, but I must convey the darkness and horror of the time, However, I also want the world to know and celebrate the unsung heroes. Because there were many ordinary people who acted in heroic ways. I realize that writing these books is a great responsibility. I pray every day that I am able to do this correctly. I am trying to reach out and touch many people, not with the message of the horrors but with the promise of hope. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for considering my work. It is an honor that I never take lightly.

I send you many blessings, Roberta