The Forest of Vanishing Stars: A Novel

Parade "Best Books of Summer" pick * Real Simple pick * She Reads "Best WWII Fiction of Summer 2021" pick

The New York Times bestselling author of the "heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism" (People) The Book of Lost Names returns with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis--until a secret from her past threatens everything.

After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what's happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest--and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.

Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author whose writing has been hailed as "sweeping and magnificent" (Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author), "immersive and evocative" (Publishers Weekly), and "gripping" (Tampa Bay Times).

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416 pages

Average rating: 8.04

222 RATINGS

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12 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Joy reader
Sep 16, 2024
10/10 stars
This is a must read. She captures your mind to be with her in the story as she portrays it. Excellent writer.
AnneMercer
May 05, 2024
9/10 stars
I enjoyed reading this book and I can gauge this because I read several books at one time and when one book takes over I know that it is THE one. I did not rate this a 10 out of 10 and I cannot tell you why. I left with an odd feeling of something missing. I cannot put my finger on it, it is bothering me and that is exactly why I love book clubs because I get to hear other people’s thoughts on the book because maybe someone will say something that gives me my ah-ha moment. The story was interesting, characters pretty well fleshed out, ending not too rushed but something leaves me wanting. The story is a new twist and view that I had not read before and the history behind it is fascinating. I would still rate this book highly and suggest it for a read to book clubs and personal reads. This feeling is all my own and not a reflection on this book overall.
frannie-puckett
Mar 17, 2024
10/10 stars
Definitely drew me in, and I learned something new about WW2.
JHSiess
Feb 03, 2024
10/10 stars
The Forest of Vanishing Stars is an engrossing fictional account of a young woman who helps Jews live in the forest during World War II to escape apprehension. Although none of her characters are based on real people, the story was inspired by actual events and the experiences of survivors. Thousands of Jews built self-sufficient communities that existed hidden away until the war ended and it was safe to emerge.

In author Kristin Harmel's story, an old mystic woman, Jerusza, who had "always known things other people didn't," knows that a child born to wealthy and influential German parents must not remain with and be raised by them. Her destiny lies elsewhere. So she watches and waits, and when the little girl, Inge Jüttner, is two years old, she kidnaps her. The child looks up at her and says "It is you" in Yiddish, a language she has not been taught. As they are escaping, Jerusza hears "a voice from the sky, sharp and clear. "One day," the voice said, :if she is not careful, her past will return -- and it will cost her everything. The only safe place is the forest." So Jerusza takes her to the Nalibocka forest, changes her name to Yona and, although she never wanted a child of her own, raises her.

As the years pass, Jerusza teaches Yons how to exist concealed from society and dependent only on what the earth provides . . . along with the things Jerusza steals when they stealthily sneak into villages. And how to take another's life should it become necessary. As Yona grows and asks all sorts of questions, Jerusza teaches her languages, science, world religions, and how to steal books. In fact, by the team Yona is fourteen years old, the "bright, sensitive, intuitive" girl's education rivals that of any university graduate. But most importantly, Yona masters "the mysteries of the forest, all the ways to survive." Jerusza also shows her "the perils of the outside world, and reminds her that no one could be trusted." They move about once every month, leaving no trace of their existence behind.

But by the time Yona is twenty years old, the world beyond the forest has changed. They hear airplanes, explosions, and gunshots, but Jerusza refuses to answer Yona's queries about what is happening, saying only that "God is angry. We are being tested," and reminding her that she will always be protected by the forest. There are more people in the forest -- "Bad men. The horror has just begun," Jaresza cautions -- and they keep moving east. By the summer of 1941, Jerusza tells Yona that the Germans are bombing Poland and they must steer clear of Russian deserters." But Yona is only confused by Jerusza's statement.

At the age of 102, Jerusza dies in 1942, leaving twenty-two-year-old Yona on her own for the first time in her life. Yona had fleeting dreams about her first two years of life, but as she is dying, Jerusza confesses that she didn't save Yona after she was abandoned by heartless parents. "I stole you. I had not choice, you see," she admits.

After Jerusza dies, Yona wanders the forest alone until she discovers and helps a little Jewish girl who tells her, "I was running from the . . . the people who want to kill us. Because I am Jewish. They are trying to kill us all." Yona is stunned, unable to comprehend that anyone would capable of such a heinous act. Not long after, following a shattering tragedy, Yona finds a man attempting to catch a fish with his bare hands, and soon another man appears. Yona debates whether to help them. But the compulsion to intercede is irresistible, and she is convinced it is the right thing to do because it is part of a greater plan she does not yet understand. And the focus of Harmel's story transitions from Jerusza's efforts to prepare Yona for what she knows the young woman will have to face to Yona's coming-of-age and fulfillment of her destiny.

Yona has no idea how to interact with other people, live in society, or love anyone other than in the limited ways she cared for Jerusza. But she becomes a teacher and leader when she realizes that the two men are part of a larger group. She joins them and shows them how to evade the Nazis in order to survive, especially during the rapidly approaching harsh winter. She learns difficult lessons about love, and a stinging betrayal compels her to return to the world from which she was ripped as a toddler. But there are more harsh lessons to be learned there about war, sacrifice, and the atrocities of which people are capable when committed to a cause.

Through Yona, Harmel explores the question of how much power individuals have to change their own destinies. In her skillful depiction of Yona's struggle, the young woman comes face to face with her past and the life she could have led if Jerusza had not kidnapped her. She confronts the extent, if any, to which she is culpable, because she was born to German parents, for the suffering and loss of so many. One character pointedly challenges Yona, "You think you can escape who you were born to? None of us can. Can't you see that?" Yet another character assures her, "We all come into this world with our fate unwritten. Your identity isn't determined by your birth. All that matters is what we make ourselves into, what we choose to do with our lives." Yona must make the most important decision of her life: which philosophy will be embrace? Who will she become? And as she does, with everything at stake, Harmel deftly ramps up the dramatic tension to a harrowing climax.

In Yona, Harmel has crafted an endearing and empathetic character. The elements of magical realism she injects into the tale are extremely effective at emphasizing the book's themes. Her prose is descriptive and vibrant, with just the right level of detail to keep readers engaged during the first part of the book as Harmel sets the stage for the wrenching, heartbreaking events that occur later in the story when Yona matures and discovers her true purpose in life. Along the way, Jerusza's beliefs and predictions serve as reminders that immortal forces have always been and continue to be at work in Yona's life. But that Yona will, ultimately, be the person she chooses to be.

Harmel says she is drawn back to writing historical fiction set in the World War II-era because there are so many fascinating stories to tell and those stories remain relevant eight decades later. It was a dark period in history, but many of the tales serve as reminders that light always prevails. Indeed, light plays an important role in The Forest of Vanishing Stars in which the forest itself serves as a fundamental character. Yona moves in and out of the light the forest provides, hiding herself and others in darkness, emerging back into the light cautiously when it is safe to do so. As she is growing up, Yona and Jerusza sleep in the forest under a bright canopy of the same stars that the refugees wish upon as they wait for the war to end. Those stars sometimes remain unseen for months on end as winter descends, making it easier for Yona and the refugees to conceal themselves from their would-be captors. "You can hardly see them above the trees. They disappear deep in the forest, don't they?" one of the refugees observes. "By the grace of God, may we all be vanishing stars." As the refugees cautiously light the candles in the menorah Yona makes for them, they experience "light in the darkness. The hope of a miracle."

Just as the refugees who survive declare that they must live in order to honor their dead, Harmel is committed to honoring those who were impacted by World War II with her fictional tales. With The Forest of Vanishing Stars she has excelled at doing so. It is an exquisite, compassionately crafted, memorable story. A must-read for all fans of World War II-era historical fiction. ​

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
sbosely
Jan 25, 2024
8/10 stars
I loved this book! Having read so many WWII historical fiction books, it was fascinating to learn about those people who survived by hiding in the forest. Definitely recommend!

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