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This was possibly my most unexpected five-star read this year (maybe ever!), but there's no denying the incredible writing skills of Katherine Locke in this novel. This is a beautiful story that you should all go put on your TBR right away.
"In the middle of Budapest, there is a river. Csilla knows the river is magic. During WWII, the river kept her family safe when they needed it most–safe from the Holocaust. But that was before the Communists seized power. Before her parents were murdered by the Soviet police. Before Csilla knew things about her father’s legacy that she wishes she could forget.
Now Csilla keeps her head down, planning her escape from this country that has never loved her the way she loves it. But her carefully laid plans fall to pieces when her parents are unexpectedly, publicly exonerated. As the protests in other countries spur talk of a larger revolution in Hungary, Csilla must decide if she believes in the promise and magic of her deeply flawed country enough to risk her life to help save it, or if she should let it burn to the ground."
- from Storygraph
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If you know me, your response might be similar to my friend Sarah when I picked this book for book club: "...but you hate historical fiction, Teri." And usually, that's true. But I picked this up after hearing so many great things while we were prepping this book for our April Young Adult pick at OUABC, and I'm SO glad I did. Katherine writes with a beautiful prose unlike anything else I've ever read. The language was flowery, full of unique metaphor, and gorgeously descriptive, all without feeling like we were droning on for five pages about a mountainside or something. I loved the twists of fantasy throughout, written in a way that you found yourself wondering if it was real or all a very deep metaphor. And either way you decide it to be, the story is still beautiful. The emotions are so raw and personal. I was put in the place of these brave students and gained empathy for this very real historical event. I wouldn't recommend a book like this if I didn't truly feel that this was something important for everyone to read.
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Prompts Completed:
2022 Once Upon a Book Club Reading Challenge (A book based on a true story)
2022 RAD Reading Challenge (A book with a cover you love)
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Content Warnings: Death, War, Antisemitism, Violence, Torture
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