One of the best historical fictions I’ve read which explores love and family relationships, meet While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart.

The plot:

Paris 1944
A young woman’s future is torn away in a heartbeat. Herded on to a train bound for Auschwitz, in an act of desperation she entrusts her most precious possession to a stranger. All she has left now is hope.

Santa Cruz 1953
Jean-Luc thought he had left it all behind. The scar on his face a small price to pay for surviving the horrors of Nazi Occupation. Now, he has a new life in California, a family. He never expected the past to come knocking on his door.

On a darkened platform, two destinies become entangled. Their choice will change the future in ways neither could have imagined…

A writer to keep your eye on

While Paris Slept is a powerful and moving story with excellent writing.

I’m not sure “enjoyed” is the right word when topics like WW2 come up, but it completely transported you to the lives of the characters. Throughout, I kept on saying this was 5-stars, and it never wavered.

Chapters are split between multiple characters and also a dual-timeline. This was expertly done, and gave us a bigger, heart-wrenching picture. I’m normally not a fan of this formatting, but WOW – this proves me wrong that it can be so well done and beneficial for the reading experience.

There are some really horrific (content-wise) chapters which just made my heart weep. As soon as you hit the mid-way point, I thought this book was going to break me, especially thinking about where the plot may go. I loved how, for me, it wasn’t predictable, and nothing could prepare me (I cried. A lot).

The characters and the exploration of the time is really well done – of course you have Paris but you also have Auschwitz and key character’s lives in America. You’re also often flickering to the past in a character’s memory.

I often found myself so connected that I was wondering what I’d do in the situation, especially with the key aspect of the plot – I was on both sides, which really drew me in and kept the pages turning.

I found it difficult to put down, and still a week on, I’m thinking about the characters. Ask me in a year, and I’ll still be able to tell you the two families and this unforgettable story.

Brilliant, and a writer to keep your eye on. An emotionally tough read at times, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

For fans of Caroline Scott.

While Paris Slept, Ruth Druart, RRP £14.99 (hardback); Amazon

Pages: 489

Publisher: Headline Books

Genre: Historical Fiction