The Promise is Eva Schloss’s second book which follows on from her autobiography, Eva’s Story. It is about an Austrian family living throughout WW2. One main focus is on the young girl, Eva and her relationship with her elder brother, Heinz. Whilst this is a tale about young people, it is now told with the wisdom of an adult. Heinz died at Malthausen Concentration Camp just days before the American liberation. His death haunts Eva and was one of the reasons why she wrote the book. Heinz Geiringer is a symbol of a lost opportunity as his musical and artistic talent was unnecessarily destroyed. I wondered with so many lives lost in the Holocaust, how many other geniuses have we been robbed of? With his untimely death, like everyone else, I have had no chance of appreciating a fine and cultured mind in its zenith. It is a children’s book (and is on the same shelves as Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre) although there is an awful lot in it for adults. One of the things that the reader can take from the book is to gain an awareness of gratitude, especially with our modern day comforts and lifestyles. Another is living in peace; a thing that many peoples and countries in the West largely take for granted. Ignoring these things does not bring us happiness. After the rather depressing events of Eva’s early life, the book ends with an uplifting last chapter that looks for new horizons. I think this was a wise choice, as we can look ahead with optimism alongside the author. I can recommend this book for many readers. Moreover, people who wish to follow up on this may be interested in the play based on the book, ‘A Light in the Darkness’.Read full review
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