"Sarah's Key" is actually two tales in one- the story of a modern-day American journalist (Julia Jarmond) who has made her home in France and that of a young Jewish girl (Sarah Starzynski) and the horrors she experienced living through the Vel' d'Hiv roundup of Jewish citizen in France in 1942. As Julia uncovers more about Sarah and her own family's connection to that dark time in history, she discovers herself and in turn changes her own life forever.
Overall, I enjoyed the story; although, it is very dark and definitely brought tears to my eyes on multiple occasions. Even though the book is a work of fiction, I appreciated the bit of history I learned while reading- I had no prior knowledge of the roundup. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the growth and development of the relationship of Julia and her father-in-law because of (and perhaps in spite of) his family's past.
I will say that the book did have some language in it, and I didn't appreciate the focus on several of themes that were presented rather nonchalantly (adultery, abortion, cohabitation, etc.). So while the story itself was very moving, this book will not be sitting on my shelf at home, and I am not over zealous to recommend it.
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