The Book of Lost Names

by Kristin Harmel

[kimbacaffeinate]

The story shares two timelines. The first take us to Florida where we meet Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian. While re-shelving books, she glances down at a newspaper and sees a man holding a book. A book she hasn’t laid eyes on in nearly six decades…. the book of lost names.

Eva goes to Germany to retrieve the book and unlock its secrets. As she travels the reader is transported to 1942, Paris, where we meet Eva, a college student forced to flee Paris with her mother after her Jewish father is arrested by Hitler’s Nazis.

This was my first time reading Harmel and she transported me to Paris. As much as I wanted to savior the story, I found myself unable to set Eva’s story down and devoured it on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I laughed, cried, cheered, held my breath and was completely in awe of the characters we met. Twists and turns I never expected ripped me apart and pulled me together again.

The rich history and the efforts of the resistance in France were beautifully detailed. I found the forgery aspects fascinating, but it was the characters that were most memorable. Such brave men and women who risked everything to help so many.

Both past and present are told from the point of view of Eva. Her voice felt authentic and I connected with her. While we spend most of our time in the past, I understood the driving needs of Eva in the present.

I became swept up in the danger and the impossible romance. Even when I knew the outcome, I couldn’t stop myself from holding my breath and wishing for the impossible.

By the time I closed The Book of Lost Names, I was a hot mess. Teary-eyed and wrecked, I felt like the book claimed a piece of my soul … one I willingly gave. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer