I was excited to read this book. I have only recently become aware of the Zabinskis (actually through a Facebook snippet!); a brave Polish couple who helped hide and smuggle Jews to safety during WW II. I was so disappointed with this. The story telling is such a mis-mash mangled mess I was tempted to set it aside without finishing it several times.

I could see what the author was trying to do. She wanted to tell the story of the central family while also making sure the reader understood the history of the time and the dynamics and differences of Poland and the Polish people from Germany and other European countries during WWII. What this became though was a disjointed mess. One moment she was directly quoting from the wife's personal journal, one moment she was telling the story as if it were a fictional thriller, one moment she was providing a history lesson, and one moment she was inserting herself into the text. This kept me from emotionally connecting with the story while at the same time keeping me from feeling like I was learning interesting facts about the time/place.