If I could only recommend one novel from 2023 it would be The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt.
Following the story of sisters Antonina and Helena Dabrowska, sisters living in Warsaw, Poland during World War II, Barratt takes readers through a fictional insight into how the German occupation affected those left behind in the city.
Barratt shows a strong eye for detail weaving in many key events from Warsaw's wartime history. Her use of the sisters as story anchors throughout the occupation gave a natural way to cover so many elements of Warsaw's wartime history from Irene Sendler's work and the Home army to tragedies like the Katyn and Wola massacres.
I also appreciated Barratt's character development allowing the events to shape the characters, their convictions, and their decisions as the war progressed. While not all of the decisions may be ones readers expect to see from this publisher, the choices felt understandable and reasonable given the reality and conditions the sisters faced as the war dragged on.
The Warsaw Sisters was not necessarily an easy read but Barratt has done her best to capture a fictional slice of historical events that need to be remembered, perhaps more than ever in these turbulent times.
5 out of 5 stars
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