Three Holocaust books

​THE LAST CHECKMATE by Gabriella SAAB published by William Morrow (fiction)
Daughters of the Labyrinth by Ruth Padel published by Corsair (fiction)
The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington published by Hodder&Stoughton (non-fiction)
Reviewed by Beryl Eichenberger
There is a plethora of Holocaust books, some considered good, some considered tasteless, others criticised, lambasted and suggestive of too much fiction thus undermining the horror of the time. While reviewers may be subjective, their own or their family history may well inform their views, in the end the opinion rests with the reader; how they assimilate and use the information.
In terms of fiction novelists may embroider their stories to make facts palatable, but the blend of fact, its accuracy and the extensive research required to marry it with fiction should never underplay reality. What is apparent, now that Holocaust survivors are passing on, is that there is a younger generation seeking to find and tell these stories.  We know that many survivors could not speak about their experiences and their stories so often died with them. There is a curiosity and passion that this younger generation display in wanting to honour those who survived, thus ensuring that the world will not forget.
Reading Holocaust novels is to read the pain etched on the pages, particularly if there is a personal connection. So please forgive me if I try to take a pragmatic view, a neutral stance on your reading choices. In keeping the memory alive, we are reminding the public of a horror that should NEVER happen again.  Sadly war and genocide are a fact of life  – it is happening as we speak; we can never deny this. Books on the subject form the platform for knowledge; can perhaps be the change,but more than anything they are a legacy for the future.
Yom HaShoah or World Holocaust Day is commemorated annually on April 28 and in the light of those candles of memory I wanted to talk briefly about three books read recently. Each has a special link to the Holocaust. From skills that could keep you alive, to haunting memories and secrets affecting a family history in present day; these stories demonstrate the strength of the human spirit.
Gabriella Saab’s debut novel “The Last Checkmate’ is a powerful story of surviving Auschwitz. A young Polish resistance worker Maria Florkowska is interned in Auschwitz but she is a master chess player and it is this that keeps her alive. Each game she plays with the sadistic camp deputy, who she discovers deliberately oversaw her family’s slaughter, could be her last. Her game plan for revenge moves the pieces of the story to a climactic close after liberation. The measured writing does not spare the agonies of prisoners, what people had to do to survive and what liberation brought with it. We are drawn into the suffering of Father Kolbe, who sacrificed his own life to save a prisoner and in 1982 was elevated to sainthood. It is a complex story told in vivid prose. Saab’s grasp of historical fiction melds her characters with those that existed and her research is exemplary. Read the Author’s notes as they shed light on the depth of her research. This is an author to watch.
Ruth Padel is a British poet and author and her writing has a rhythm that reflects this. Evocative, haunting and echoing lines paint a picture of buried secrets on Crete, an island full of its own myths and legends. ‘Daughters of the Labyrinth’ is set in the present but it explores the depth of buried memories, of stories never told, loss and denial. Sixty-something international artist Ri was born in Crete, brought up as a Christian but left for London in her 20s. Sponsored by the family friend Mr Michael she studied art and has made a successful career, something her Cretan mother Sophia seems always to resent.  After the tragic death of her Jewish husband David, the news her mother is very ill draws her back to the island. It is her father who starts telling Ri her mother Sophia’s real story, one that saw her hidden throughout the war and her community driven from Crete. Coming to grips with this answers many questions and confirms instincts but brings with it confusion and finally peace. Unfurling the story is a walk through life’s labyrinth and Padel’s writing evokes the many moods and colours of this journey.  Padel asks the question: How well do we know our own family…something we may well ask ourselves. A rich, satisfying and thoughtful novel.
I grew up in the ‘rag trade’ so fashion was part of my life for many years. When I watched an interview with author Lucy Adlington on her book ‘The Dressmakers of Auschwitz’ I was intrigued – who would have thought of a fashion salon in the heart of one of the most notorious concentration camps. This is the true story of the women who sewed to survive and it is quite remarkable. Adlington’s diverse sources, her tenacity in finding the truth and being able to interview some of the last surviving seamstresses brings to life what became known as the Upper Tailoring Studio. Started by the very fashion conscious Hedwig Höss, wife of the infamous Rudolf Höss at the height of the Holocaust, twenty-five, mostly Jewish young inmates sewed garments for the Nazi élite. The hypocrisy of being beautifully dressed while prisoners were stripped to humiliating nudity cannot be lost on the reader. The friendships these women forged lasted long after the war and Adlington weaves this little known story within the context of the Nazi policies; the greed, exploitation and cruelty which drove the regime. It is a fascinating piece of history meticulously written and researched.    
These are but a tiny sliver of what is available but are chapters of the legacy library that we must continue building.