The Orphan's Tale

by Pam Jenoff

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff could easily have been yet another novel about surviving WWII. At first, I was nervous as it seemed to mirror Water for Elephants and while that in itself is a good story I found the ending to be disappointing. Therefore, I hoped for a different result. Fortunately, I was rewarded and then some.

The author has brought to life a variation that could only be contained under the big top she has expertly created. The Orphan's Tale has bold, brave characters that were as mesmerizing as those of an aerialist.

While all the actors in this big top undergo hardship it is Astrid and Noa who take center stage. Astrid, a trained aerialist has lost everything, her family has been taken from her and has been disowned by her husband, a german SS officer. After these atrocious blows she returns to what she has always known and takes refuge with a rival circus who is willing to hide a jew in plain sight. Noa, the novel's other protagonist has also been cast off by her family after an unwanted pregnancy. In her own despair of losing a child takes another aboard a train to certain doom. By chance, these women meet and form a bond that can only be compared to that of a childhood Best Friends Forever bracelet. It was endearing and I was touched by the lengths they went to for one another which somehow softened the darkness of the plot.

However, women were not the only stars of the show, Peter, a clown with hatred for the new regime brushes off the inevitable consequences his performance would bring. His scenes were some of the more heartbreaking because of the aftershocks it caused. Lastly, was Herr Neuhoff, the Ring Leader of the circus and the Oskar Schindler of the story. While his fate was clear to me from the start his need to help others no matter the cost became difficult to read as I knew it would eventually end in tragedy.

The ending was like this year's Best Picture winner. It was expected that La La Land would win but instead a turn of events occurred that literally had persons saying "What!" From the start, I had a feeling how the story would end but it was the path that led there that is worth the journey.

Pam Jenoff's The Orphan's Tale is a enthralling historical fiction novel, it rips your heart and is a remarkable, courageous feat.This review was originally posted on First Impressions Reviews