The House of Izieu
“Jan Rehner's novel The House of Izieu grabs you by the heart and doesn’t let go. It’s a wrenching portrait of a secret children’s refuge in war-torn France, where, for a time, joy replaces horror, and love brutality. Jan Rehner’s prose sings. The characters she spins are captivating, in particular the children. They are rendered so fully and intimately, their voices so pure, their personal histories so tragic, that readers will want to crawl right into the pages to comfort them. This story of selflessness and bravery is impossible to put down, and impossible to forget.
The House of Izeiu is a novel inspired by the life and experiences of Sabine Zlatin who, as a Jew using a fake identity, managed to find families to care for Jewish children who were in French refugee camps. She created a safe home for a number of other children called "The House of Izeiu" which is now a museum. Unfortunately, she was not able to save the 44 children in her care. After one wonderful year of freedom in that house they were discovered, and Klaus Barbie ordered their deportation to Auschwitz where they were killed. Sabine’s husband was also caught with two teenage boys he was helping escape and was also eventually killed. Sabine, suffering from loss and the guilt of not having saved the children, manages to continue contributing to the underground efforts as well as efforts to reunite people after the war’s end.
Praise