Cilka's Journey

very depressing and i had to take breaks as it was harming my mental health (as i was already in a depressive episode) but it was a beautiful story with the most amazing writing.
Every single character left a mark on me and it's crazy that this is a true story based on real people. It's so heart breaking.

Cilka is a young jewish girl who is sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau at the age of 16. This is the story of how she survives that ordeal and more. She is then moved to Gulag after the war having been found guilty of crimes during the war. Again, she finds she is in a position where she is able to survive, all the while living in fear of the past being disclosed.
The writing is simple and powerful. After a long time I found myself reading the book in a single sitting and crying. Not too many books can achieve that. I will recommend this book to anyone who has the heart to read about the World War and its aftermath.
Its a book which delved clearly into the horrors of the time while still carrying a flame of hope. Cilka is a strong girl, capable of taking most things in her stride. Her various relationships with the inmates around her are so well depicted for all their complexity. A story such as this does not come along often.

Although a follow on from the Tattooist of Auschwitz, this can be read in isolation. A story of the horrors of the Post war Gulags. As with the previous novel, I felt that this was an important story to be told but which was let down by the writing style.