"Maybe we aren't meant to leave the past behind. Maybe we're meant to bring it with us so we can join others weighed down by the same burdens, and we can carry them together. Maybe that's how we find peace." - The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab
This novel is intense. More than any Holocaust novel I recall, Gabriella Saab's debut The Last Checkmate immersed me in the cruelty hundreds of thousands of Jews and Resistance members endured at the hands of Nazis. It was difficult to read at times, but I continued because so many actually experienced this horror.
The story features Maria Florkowska, a young teen member of the Polish Resistance whose capture by the Gestapo leads to her and her family's imprisonment in Auschwitz. Her skill at chess catches the attention of a savage camp guard and enables her to act strategically to survive the inhumane conditions. Maria's friendship with Father Kolbe was a glimmer of hope in an otherwise cold, dark, and dirty existence.
The plot is inspired by historic events and people as explained in an extensive author's note.
At times, it felt Maria was savvy beyond her age, but prisoners likely matured rapidly in such conditions. The ending was slightly too 'happily ever after" for my taste, but after enduring so much horror and grief, these characters deserve all the happiness they can get.
Thank you to William Morrow, Book Club Girl, and NetGalley for the review copy of this outstanding novel.
This novel is intense. More than any Holocaust novel I recall, Gabriella Saab's debut The Last Checkmate immersed me in the cruelty hundreds of thousands of Jews and Resistance members endured at the hands of Nazis. It was difficult to read at times, but I continued because so many actually experienced this horror.
The story features Maria Florkowska, a young teen member of the Polish Resistance whose capture by the Gestapo leads to her and her family's imprisonment in Auschwitz. Her skill at chess catches the attention of a savage camp guard and enables her to act strategically to survive the inhumane conditions. Maria's friendship with Father Kolbe was a glimmer of hope in an otherwise cold, dark, and dirty existence.
The plot is inspired by historic events and people as explained in an extensive author's note.
At times, it felt Maria was savvy beyond her age, but prisoners likely matured rapidly in such conditions. The ending was slightly too 'happily ever after" for my taste, but after enduring so much horror and grief, these characters deserve all the happiness they can get.
Thank you to William Morrow, Book Club Girl, and NetGalley for the review copy of this outstanding novel.
