As I was searching for mysteries to review during March, I really wanted to share a wide range of authors and plots. I feel like this was accomplished and there isn't a better book to conclude March than "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse. This book was, without a doubt, one of the most fascinating books I've read about war-torn Europe during World War 2 and had an intense mystery to solve. This book was a thrifted treasure that I purchased from a dear, local friend whose daughter was selling a bunch of her personal collection. I scored BIG time for $1/book and this was one of my friend's daughter's favorite books. It's safe to say, she has very good taste in books and I look forward to sharing more reviews of the other books I purchased from her.
"Girl in the Blue Coat" takes place in Amsterdam in 1943. The main character is named Hanneke and she is employed by a local undertaker who has joined the resistance by purchasing scarce items on the Black Market with the ration cards of his deceased clients. In the eyes of the general public, Hanneke is his secretary, but the majority of her work day is spent purchasing and delivering items to their customers. Each of these customers is also involved in the resistance and they help each other with a number of things, including hiding Jewish people in their homes. On one occasion, one of Hanneke's customers asks her if she will help her find a Jewish girl who has run away from her hiding place in this woman's home. Hanneke is not amused that this woman has assumed that her delivering of illegal items automatically means she will help find this girl who had left her home wearing a blue coat. Danger is all around them and attempting to find this girl with a blue coat means she will have to expose herself to another layer of people and run the risk of being outed and killed.
The history research that the author had to do for this book was unbelievable. She described the mannerisms and behaviors of the Nazi soldiers and the local Third Reich supporters in a way that made me shiver. I've read a LOT of books about Nazi Europe in WW2, but this book really tugged at my heart strings while making me want to spit nails.
One of the events that was described in this book was a local theater which was used as a holding ground for captured Jews until they were transported to one of the concentration camps in Germany. It was a bleak, smelly and unsanitary environment and Hanneke sneaks in there at one point and nearly passes out from the shock of it all. Across the street from the theater was a children's hospital where a lot of Jewish babies were hid. The staff of the children's hospital were both Jewish and non and they had a smuggling operation set up to send countless babies to homes of people who were part of the efforts to save the Jewish rising generation. Hanneke is exposed to this operation because one of the Jewish young women who helps smuggle babies is friends with the girl in the blue coat and may have important information to share regarding her whereabouts. The way the author described all of the details of their conversations and interactions while smuggling babies across the city was off the charts.
One of the main themes of the book was the decision a person had to make in order to protect the greater good with the risk of death, if caught. It is astounding to me the number of people who were willing and passionate about saving as many of their Jewish neighbors as they could. In the book we are introduced to people who hide their Jewish friends and complete strangers in secret compartments in the wall, under the stairs and in the root cellar. There were so many characters in the book who felt a deeply-seeded need to join the resistance and save these innocent humans from Hitler and his followers. It was humbling for me to read about a particular character who had devised a way to hide a camera in her bag and baby bassinet so she could take photos of everything she saw the Nazis doing while she was in public. She explained in the book that she wanted people to see it firsthand someday and know that none of it was a lie. The level of risk in an operation of this nature is incomprehensible. She could have easily been shot immediately for this kind of behavior. Her story in particular really made me think about how much risk I would actually take if I was faced with something so horrific as genocide. I'd like to believe I'd be brave enough to hide my friends of a different religion in my home to keep them safe. So many questions and deep introspection ran through my mind as I read this book.
In the end, the mystery is solved, but it's not without some chapters that you'll have to consciously remember to breathe. I could NOT believe the intensity I felt from the way the author described the events leading up to the discovery of the girl in the blue coat's identity. It was spectacular writing.
My recommended reading group would be age 16 and above. It's a PG-13 read with descriptive elements of the Nazi culture, death and great amounts of fear experienced by all ages. It's a bit gruesome at times, but the historical accuracy definitely stands. I think it is a very good book for historical context regarding the holocaust and truly had a satisfying ending for me.
The moral of the story: When faced with the question if we should save and/or stand up for a friend who is different than us the answer should always be YES. Courage and compassion will conquer.
Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R
Other Books by Monica Hesse
Missed last week's book review? Click here to read it!
You're forever expanding my list of books to read! I also love how on every post you write about the moral of the story because it really makes me think about things that I wouldn't normally think about on a day to day basis. Fantastic post! :)
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