Sarah Young makes her debut with her first adult novel, My Enemy's Cradle. Penning the celebrated children's books, the Clementine series, Young proves that she can make the transformation from light and gay to heartfelt, tragic, and solid fiction.
Set in WW II Europe, a time of horror and strength, this is a story of the Nazi Lebensborn program. For Cyrla, a young half Jewish woman, it is a painful and heart-breaking journey. Cyrla lives with her cousin's family in Rotterdam. Her father sent her there for protection when the threat of war loomed on the horizon. After five years, Cyrla and her cousin Anneke are closer than ever. In fact, many people mistake them for one another, their resemblance to one another uncanny.
Anneke is in love with a German soldier, and soon discovers she is pregnant. When he refuses to acknowledge the child, Anneke grows desperate as her intolerant father threatens to send her to the nearby Lebensborn, a maternity home run by the Nazis. At Lebensborn, the children are tested to make sure they are of true blood. Those that pass the test are given to German familes to raise as the next generation of soldiers. If they are not true blood, the child just disappears.
Cyrla is in a relationship with a prominent Jewish lawyer. Knowing the future to be uncertain, afraid she and her lover will be exposed, she and her aunt decide for Cyrla to use Anneke's identity and escape to the Lebensborn. There, Cyrla finds love in the most unexpected place, as well as the knowledge of the near impossibility of her own escape as she faces the true dangers and horrors of war.
Rich, realistic characters and a solid, historical plot make this adult debut a compelling and emotional read. Sara Young has done a masterful job bringing forth a story that lays forgotten beneath the horrors of Hitler.
Set in WW II Europe, a time of horror and strength, this is a story of the Nazi Lebensborn program. For Cyrla, a young half Jewish woman, it is a painful and heart-breaking journey. Cyrla lives with her cousin's family in Rotterdam. Her father sent her there for protection when the threat of war loomed on the horizon. After five years, Cyrla and her cousin Anneke are closer than ever. In fact, many people mistake them for one another, their resemblance to one another uncanny.
Anneke is in love with a German soldier, and soon discovers she is pregnant. When he refuses to acknowledge the child, Anneke grows desperate as her intolerant father threatens to send her to the nearby Lebensborn, a maternity home run by the Nazis. At Lebensborn, the children are tested to make sure they are of true blood. Those that pass the test are given to German familes to raise as the next generation of soldiers. If they are not true blood, the child just disappears.
Cyrla is in a relationship with a prominent Jewish lawyer. Knowing the future to be uncertain, afraid she and her lover will be exposed, she and her aunt decide for Cyrla to use Anneke's identity and escape to the Lebensborn. There, Cyrla finds love in the most unexpected place, as well as the knowledge of the near impossibility of her own escape as she faces the true dangers and horrors of war.
Rich, realistic characters and a solid, historical plot make this adult debut a compelling and emotional read. Sara Young has done a masterful job bringing forth a story that lays forgotten beneath the horrors of Hitler.
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