The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel

This is a very difficult book to review. Overall I would say it was a good book but not a great one. Lale was the main character who became the tattooist of Auschwitz to survive his time in the concentration camp. As much as I appreciated his passion for survival I struggled with how much he needed to do to survive and that in the process he betrayed his fellow Jews. At the same time he attempted to use his position to help his fellow inmates obtain food and medicine. The writing style lends itself more to a movie than a novel.

it feels weird to rate this book since it’s lale’s true story that he wanted shared. i guess i can rate the writing itself which i felt was good enough but nothing outstanding. i recently went to a holocaust museum which had various first accounts, and this book was not as explicit as any of them. it’s definitely a remarkable story and worth a read, but i’m not sure i’d say it’s better than other books which give personal accounts of the holocaust.

rating: again, feels weird to rate it because i don’t want to diminish what he went through but in terms of writing and pacing, i guess a 3.5?

We know the stories. We know the horror. But after wiping my tears, my mouth was left gaping when I discovered this book was based on a true story of the individuals named. The characters are real, the story was real, this isn't just "based off true events". The fact that these two were real people facing these true accounts opens your mind to dig deeper than just "a horrific moment in history". I wish I had the right words to accurately convey what I'm feeling after finishing this book.

I wasn’t enjoying the tone of the book anyway—it’s a sopping-wet love story with paper-thin characters and some thoroughly fantastical plot points, set in a concentration camp. But then I read what the response has been from the Auschwitz Memorial and other Jewish historical associations, and those were nails in the coffin. The fact that the author claims it’s historically accurate only makes it worse. It’s an awful book, and I strongly don’t recommend it.

So good! A great historical read! I can’t wait to read the 2 books that follow characters/people in this one