The Forest of Vanishing Stars : Book review


Title: The Forest of Vanishing Stars

Author: Kristin Harmel

Genre: Historical fiction

Set in the backdrop of world war 2, The Forest of Vanishing Stars tells the story of a woman who has an unconventional upbringing.

When she was two years old, Yona was stolen from her German parents by a mysterious woman named Jerusza and raised in the forest. Yona learns survival skills and multiple languages. After Jerusza's death, Yona stumbles upon a group of jews in the forest who have fled their homes to escape the German persecution. Yona decides to help them and ends up forming a bond with Aleksander-the group leader. A betrayal compels her to flee the forest and end up in aGerman village. Yona is forced to confront her shocking past and present. 

The author's research clearly lends authenticity to the characters and setting.In her lucid and poetic style, she transports readers to this magical forest which is a character by itself. The relationship between Jerusza and Yona borders more on care than love. Its nowhere close to a mother-daughter bond but more of a caretaker and protector from evil. Grief is a predominant emotion throughout the story. Themes of betrayal, loneliness, healing, violence and survival are touched upon here. There is a lot of talk about religion, with, identity and home. 

The Forest of Vanishing stars is philosophical, mystical and touches upon the horrors of the holocaust. Some of scenes in the book makes you go moist eyed. It’s compelling, interesting and informative. One of the powerful messages in the book is that its not about who you were born to be but who you choose to become. While there is darkness, there is always a light in some form that eludes you from the dark phases in life. This is a book that is bound to elicit a sea of emotions. 


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