Series: Standalone
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: September 7th 2013
Source: E-book received in exchange for an honest review
Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars
Cover Rating: 4/5 Stars
Synopsis: Like any girl who is loved by her family, Abigail Nussbaum loves to
chase butterflies, enjoys lying on her back looking for shapes in the clouds,
and happily teaches young children to make daisy chains. In the eyes of
certain people, however, Abigail has committed a heinous crime. The year is
1940; the place is Poland; Abigail happens to be Jewish. Along with half a
million other Jews, Abigail and her family are evicted from their home and
forced to live in the bombed out ruins of Warsaw, the Polish capital. Although
a handful decide to fight back, is the uprising strong enough to save Abigail’s
spirit?
First Line: "When Abigail wriggled her toes, the
tops of her shoes rippled as if a small rabbit were burrowing around inside
them."
When I started Saying
Goodbye to Warsaw I did not
know what to expect. I had not read a wartime historical fiction in a long time
so I was slightly worried that my review wouldn't do the book justice due to my
lack of ability to compare it to others in the genre. However, as I read I
found this problem nullified given that there is no need to compare a book when
it is excellent in its own right. A problem that I always find with novels
narrated by children are that they are much too simplistic, understandably so
of course but it is still off putting. Abigail's narration did not have this problem;
it was intelligent and complex while still very dreamy and childlike. The mix
of these attributes was a risky one but it really paid off. Another problem of
novels in which the protagonist is a child is that it usually results in much
less concentration on other characters. Again, Cargill flawlessly avoided this
through his choice of narration style. Not only do we see multiple perspectives
within the story but we are able to connect with them just as easily as we do
with Abigail. In fact, my favourite character, Borys, was one of the most minor
but still so well developed that I couldn't help loving him. Not one of the
characters is exaggerated or idealised, we can easily relate to the fear Chana's
fear for her children's safety as well as Leo's anger at the Germans for
forcing the Jews into the ghetto. It is impossible to read Saying
Goodbye to Warsaw without
identifying completely with the characters responses to their situation, not to
mention counting yourself lucky not to have experienced such horrors if you are
anything like me.
The plot of Saying Goodbye to Warsaw begins quite slowly but the
undertone of the horrific war going on in the background plus the readers own
knowledge of the persecution of the Jews means that the tension builds
throughout even if the events are relatively calm. This clever plot device
means that the eventual explosive climax is all the more shocking and effective
in contrast to the calmer beginning. Speaking of the ending, it is not often
that I am surprised by finales but this one caught me off guard. I cannot tell
you any more about it but be prepared to be emotional. However, the comment on
the emotional nature is not only reserved for the endings. The extreme tragedy
of the story line is emphasised throughout. I promise you that if you pick up
this book there will be times when you must fight the urge to internally scream
in frustration, not to mention despair.
One element of the book I didn't enjoy is how unrealistic
Abigail's character temporarily became. It was only brief, near the end of the
book, and therefore excusable, but I did find myself forgetting how old she
really was due to her seemingly innate skill at adult activities such as first
aid and shooting. One scene in the novel had her learning to accurately shoot a
gun in just three attempts, I am no expert on that kind of thing but I doubt
most adults could do that, let alone ten year old girls. But, as said earlier,
this flaw is only minor in an otherwise interesting and gripping story.
I would recommend Saying Goodbye to Warsaw to those who love historical
fiction just as much as those who aren't such big fans for one simple reason,
it doesn't read like your usual historical fiction. You don't need to remember
vast amounts of historical detail in order to understand the plot like with many;
this book could easily be read with minimal knowledge of the situation in
Poland for Jews therefore no one should be discouraged. Saying Goodbye
to Warsaw has a tense and
gripping plot and realistic characters with whom you can easily empathise with
and for this reason it gets 4/5 Stars from me. I certainly look forward to
reading more of Michael’s work.
Best Quote: "There we are,' he said, shooting her
a quick wink. ’You look so much prettier than your brother when you
blush."
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