The Young Survivors

(Paperback)

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A powerful debut novel based on a true story of five siblings struggling to stay together as the tides of war threaten to tear them apart. What if everyone you loved was suddenly taken away When Germany invades and occupies France in the Second World War, the five Lustman orphans lose everything: their home, their community and most devastatingly their parents who are abducted in the night and deported to Auschwitz, never to be seen again. There is no safe place left for these Jewish children to evade the Nazis, but they cling together, never certain when the authorities will come for what is left of them. Inspired by the poignant, true story of the author's mother, this moving historical novel conveys the hardship, the uncertainty and the impossible choices the Lustman children were forced to make to survive the horrors of the Holocaust. AUTHOR: Debra Barnes studied journalism and has been a regular contributor to the Jewish News. Since January 2017, she runs a project for The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) to produce individual life story books for Holocaust survivors and refugees. She has been interviewed by BBC Radio regarding her mother's story and has had a short documentary made about her research.

Reviews

'A poignant and gripping debut. Set against the darkest days of WWII, the novel reminds us that the bonds of family and the power of love can never be extinguished' Alyson Richman, bestselling author of The Lost Wife

'A story that will make you weep, wonder and remember' Tatiana de Rosnay, author of Sarah's Key

'A haunting account... a devastating story of twins separated, of grandparents, parents and cousins, entire families, disappeared a story that had to be told' Elizabeth Fremantle, author of Queen's Gambit

'A novel that is arrestingly sincere, full of touching moments and informed by careful research. The beating heart of The Young Survivors is the author's emotional connection to her characters, which is unmistakably based on longstanding and deep engagement with her own family's past' Dr Toby Simpson, Director of The Wiener Holocaust Library

Author Bio

Debra Barnes studied journalism and has been a regular contributor to the Jewish News. Since January 2017, she runs a project for The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) to produce individual life story books for Holocaust survivors and refugees. She has been interviewed by BBC Radio regarding her mother's story and has had a short documentary made about her research.