The Tattooist of Auschwitz

How do you survive one of the most heinous events in human history? 
I asked myself this regularly while reading The Tattooist.     
Author Heather Morris told us what happened to prisoners in Auschwitz in a somewhat journalistic style, through her interviews with a ninety year old survivor. 
How can a story taking place in Auschwitz be a romance?
Well, it's because Lale speaks many languages that he's seen as an asset by the SS, and made the Tätowierer. He goes through his cruel task of branding other prisoners with their numbers. Most other prisoners understandably succumb mentally and physically to their starvation, the cold weather and torture. But because Lale is a romantic, he finds hope through his attraction to a woman he tattooed. Even in the deplorable death camp that was Auschwitz, astonishingly, he tracks her down, and they manage to begin a romance. 
Their story is astounding, because amidst all the atrocities, Lale and Gita find and cling to love, which ultimately helps them survive. They often talk of faith, which is something Lale said he lost, but Gita still had.  

It was necessary after all Lale and Gita had been through to read how their lives ended up. In the afterword by their son, I was pleased to hear how they continued to adore each other. The author's note told us how Morris came to meet Lale and interview him for 3 years, slowly getting his story. 

While certainly not a typical romance, it is a story of survival, love and faith, and an vital book to read. 

I received The Tattooist of Auschwitz in a giveaway. 

Until next time,

Kara