Book Review: Over the Hedge by Paulette Mahurin

 

The Details

 

Publisher: Self

Published: 31 July 2021

Genre: Historical Fiction/WWII/Jewish History

Pages: 176

Available: ebook, paperback

Sex: ❤ None

Violence: 😨 beatings of men, women and children

 

My Review

Reviewer’s Note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Plot in Brief: This is the fictionalized story of the rescue of Jewish children from Amsterdam, saving them from deportation to the camps and almost certain death.

The Characters: The three main characters in this novel are based on real people; Walter Suskind, a German Jew, Johan van Hulst, a Christian and Henriette Pimentel, a Sephardic Jew. Mahurin does a good job of fleshing out their personalities, motivations and conflicts. Suskind works in a Nazi processing center, sending his fellow Jews to their deaths. Johan, principal of a teachers college, risks his life to save the children of a different faith and Henriette, who runs a day care must choose which children will live.

The History: This is a very moving story, hard to read and easy to stand in awe of the brave acts that could and did result in the deaths of some of the characters. I thought the author did a super job building the story and setting the scene for what was an amazing scheme to sneak children to safety right under the noses of the Nazis.

The Writing: The book is well edited with a good flow, but I found the writing a bit lacking in descriptive details. This is a terrible story, all holocaust stories are, and they deserve to be told with respect and dignity, and let’s face it, they are painful to read. But, as a reader, I need to feel connected to the author’s story not just the characters. To me, this book came off a bit cold and dry as if the author was just telling the story without any attempt to build tension, suspense or drama. This is just my personal reaction, other readers may well appreciate the spare telling of this powerful story.

Overall: I thought this was an important story, well told. I appreciated the history and felt I learned more about the Nazi occupation of Holland and the treatment of the Jews of Amsterdam. Books like these are not fun to read, they are painful, but necessary, reminders that humans are capable of the basest of cruelties, even towards innocent children.

A big thank you to author Paulette Mahurin for allowing me to read her fantastic story.

 

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐★    4 1/2 stars

Buy the Book:

 

See my historical fiction bookshelves at Amazon for more great Historical Fiction.