I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I am a big fan of historical fiction books. As heartbreaking as it is to read about I tend to read books based on the Holocaust. Even in the fiction books there are so many stories about bravery despite the horrific times. Recently, I have been taking interest in dual timeline books. Both of these reasons are exactly why I was so intrigued with the book What I Would Tell You by Liz Tolsma.
About the Book
Mathilda Nissam lives in Salonika, Greece during 1941, the year the Nazi’s began invading Greece. She lives in a community of Sephardic Jews who become the next target of the Nazis to send away to the concentration camps. One day, when the German army arrives she watched in horror as a family friend is beaten to death and no one comes to his aid. Mathilda decides she can not quietly watch her people be treated so badly. The stories about Jews in other countries has begun to circulate and she decides to write a resistance paper to the Jews in her town.
During this time Mathilda becomes pregnant, and even though she is joyful, she wonders how she will keep her baby safe. Her husband and friends tell her to trust in God. But Mathilda feels that God has abandoned her people. Through this time she keeps a diary of her days, documenting her thoughts and experiences. Will God help her keep her baby safe? Will Mathilda’s faith in God be restored?
In 2019 Tess is finishing up another year in college but her mind is very distracted. She and her cousin decided to take a DNA test to see their genealogy, only the results are shocking. The test revealed that the girls did not share common ancestors and that Tess is a Sephardic Jew, this is something she has never been told. She was raised as a Christian and learning this information she begins to question her faith. She decides to take a trip to Greece on her own, against her mother’s wishes.
When Tess arrives in Greece, she has very little information to begin her research. Unexpectedly, Tess’ story catches the interest of a museum guide who helps show her the lives of Jews in Greece during the 1940’s. Will Tess be able to find the link to her past or will she go home with still unanswered questions?
My Thoughts
I had a very hard time putting this book down to attend to household duties. I would carve out time during my day to sit for a long period of time to read. In the end, I was able to read this book in two days. While I was able to determine some answers to questions midway through the book, the how was what kept my interest. I really felt myself rooting for Tess to find the answers she was looking for in Greece. This book overall was a great read.
The Life We Build 