Title: The Forest of Vanishing Stars
Author: Kristin Harmel
Date/year published: 2021
Genre: historical fiction, literary
Format: e-pub, borrowed from local library using Libby app and read on Kindle
Why did I choose to read it: The premise sounded interesting – a young woman helps a group of Jewish refugees survive in the wild during WWII.
Synopsis:
A young child is kidnapped by an elderly woman and raised in the woods. Renamed Yona, the young woman grows to learn the secrets of the wilderness of Eastern Europe. Eventually her kidnapper dies, leaving her alone in the forest. When she meets refugees escaping from Nazi occupied countries her knowledge and skills prove useful. She helps them hide, heal their wounds, and survive in the dense forest. When she encounters Nazis in a village where she had befriended some nuns, the encounter alters her life and her own perception of herself.
Thoughts:
I often ponder the nature vs. nurture question – if I grew up somewhere else, would I have different views? Would my view of different religions change? What would I think of other cultures? Of my own self? Would my dreams change? In this book, nature vs. nurture is a prominent theme. How would Yona’s life have been different if she hadn’t been kidnapped?
Yona questions this more and more as the story unfolds. First, when her kidnapper/surrogate parent dies, she wonders about her past life. Then, as she meets new people, she wonders about her place in society and the world at large; questioning her kidnapper’s reasons. When she (spoiler) learns of her birth father’s existence and position, the question of nature vs. nurture arises again. Yona may not discover the answer to that age old question, but she comes to terms with her place in the world she inhabits and finds acceptance.
The story itself is well written, the imagery is beautify and descriptive without being overly done. Yona’s thoughts are well written; it’s easy to get lost in her mind and see things from her POV. The cast of characters is vast – thanks to the number of refugees wandering the woods. At first I thought I’d get confused as the number of refugees grew, but the author does a great job of gently reminding the reader who is who when they reappear. Even if I couldn’t remember the specifics of the character in question, the story flowed well and wasn’t hampered by my poor memory.
I also found the setting refreshing. So many historical fiction books about WWII take place in cities, ghetto, or concentration camps. They may occasionally contain a chapter or two about escaping into/and through the woods or wilderness. This story put that formula on its head, mostly taking place in the woods with occasional excursions into nearby villages. This difference made it an easier read for me. The environment was still harsh, the situation still tense, but it was somehow “softer”. Do not misunderstand – it in no way lessened the atrocities of the holocaust. It simply made it “not another holocaust book”. I hope that makes sense.
(Spoiler) I must confess, early on, when Yona encounters a young man leading a group of refugees, I thought, “Great, I fell for another romance novel.” I’m not a fan of romance novels. I don’t mind romance when it’s part of the story, but not when the book is centered around it. It’s a fine line, I know. Basically, I’m a fan of story. Anyway, I was happily mistaken. This book is not a romance, the relationships that develop are just part of the story, what naturally happens when groups of people are confined or stuck with one another for long periods of time.
Would I re-read or recommend it?
Re-read? Maybe. It was enjoyable enough that if I were in a reading group and it was the chosen book, I wouldn’t hesitate to re-read to re-familiarize myself with the details.
Recommend? Definitely. Especially if you’re a fan of WWII historical fiction, historical fiction in general, strong female leads, unique POV, or wilderness survival.
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