Kristin Harmel's latest World War II novel, The Forest of Vanishing Stars (#1,047) is yet another gripping story based on the experiences of Polish Jews during the war.
Stolen as a toddler, Yona is brought up in the dense woods of Eastern Europe by Jerusza, the elderly woman who abducted her, living off the land and learning its hidden secrets. The pair only rarely ventures into villages for needed supplies as they sustain themselves from the land. After Jerusza dies, leaving Yona all alone, she encounters people in the forest. Jerusza has taught her to avoid all men, but these people are different - Jewish families fleeing the Nazis. She makes a life-altering decision to help these people the best she can, teaching them how to survive in the wilderness.
Not all of the refugees are willing to follow her lead, placing her growing band in danger with their careless ways. When Yona is forced out on her own again, her past meets up with her present in a disastrous way.
During World War II, a number of Jews and others hunted by both the Nazis and the Russians managed to eke out an existence in the impenetrable forests and swamps of Eastern Europe until after the conflict was over. Although Yona's story is fictional, the perils and difficulties those hardy survivors faced is told here, with references for further reading listed by author Kristin Harmel. It's an intense and unusual read.
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