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Author: Barnes, Debra

Second World War fiction

Published on 23 July 2020 by Duckworth Books (Duckworth) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 304 pages
128 x 197 x 33 | 268g

What if everyone you loved was suddenly taken away? Five siblings struggle to stay together as the tides of war threaten to tear them apart.

When Germany invades France in the Second World War, the five Laskowski children lose everything: their home, their Jewish community and most devastatingly their parents who are abducted in the night. There is no safe place left for them to evade the Nazis, but they cling together, never certain when the authorities will come for what is left of them.

Inspired by the poignant, true story of the author’s mother, this moving historical novel conveys the hardship, the uncertainty and the impossible choices the Laskowski children were forced to make to survive the horrors of the Holocaust.

***PRAISE FOR THE YOUNG SURVIVORS***’A haunting account… a devastating story of twins separated, of grandparents, parents and cousins, entire families, disappeared – a story that had to be told.’ Elizabeth Fremantle’A story that will make you weep, wonder and remember.’ Tatiana de Rosnay, author of Sarah’s Key ‘A poignant and gripping debut. Set against the darkest days of WWII, the novel reminds us that the bonds of family and the power of love can never be extinguished.’ Alyson Richman, bestselling author of The Lost Wife’A heartbreaking yet uplifting story of loss and love told through the eyes of children… gripping and deeply moving.’ James MacManus’A hugely impressive debut.’ Michael Newman, CEO of The Association of Jewish Refugees’A novel that is arrestingly sincere, full of touching moments and informed by careful research. The beating heart of The Young Survivors is the author’s emotional connection to her characters, which is unmistakably based on longstanding and deep engagement with her own family’s past.’ Dr Toby Simpson, Director of The Wiener Holocaust Library