Theresienstadt, a ghetto in Czechoslovakia, is the stage the Nazis set to show ‘proof’ that Jewish people aren’t being harmed at the hands of the Third Reich. The reality, of course, is a living hell for the prisoners sent there. Hilde is the filmmaker assigned, and she’s keen to prove herself. There, she runs into her childhood friend, Hannah, who is there as a prisoner with her grandfather.

The contrast between Hilde and Hannah provides great conflict and what I imagine would have been a realistic picture of the reality of living at that time. Hilde has been sucked into the Nazi ideologies, while Hannah has no choice but to bear the cruelty and oppression. The storytelling is powerful.

I read Jennifer Coburn’s novel Cradles of the Reich a couple of years ago and I enjoyed The Girls of the Glimmer Factory just as much. I enjoy this author’s ability to find lesser-known elements of the Holocaust to write about. I feel as though I learn a lot through her writing.

A huge thanks to the author for inviting me to read a digital ARC through NetGalley!