Nearing the end of her life and battling dementia, Wanda is living in a nursing home with the Sisters of Saint Francis. Her memory comes and goes, and she often thinks about her late husband, Janek. Memories of him come with memories of war. Through flashbacks, we see both Janek’s and Wanda’s experiences.

Janek is sent off to fight in the west, leaving Wanda and their young daughter, Sophie, behind. The Soviets soon move into their city of Lwow and begin meticulously erasing all traces of Polish culture. This includes the destruction of buildings, the outlawing of religion, and even the banning of the Polish language. The horrors only get worse for Wanda, Sophie, and Janek, who ends up being captured. 

Like Embers in the Night is rich with history. I learned a lot about Poland, both what the country and its citizens went through during the war as well as its culture and faith. Of course, the emphasis is on the horrors brought on by the Nazis and Soviets both in brutality and ideology. 

Straight away, I was absorbed into the story. The eloquence of the writing has a hypnotic element that makes thirty pages go by in what feels like a heartbeat despite it not being dialogue-heavy. This kind of well-crafted writing can be difficult to come by, and I think a lot of this is a testament to the author’s obvious passion for the subject matter.

Along with the eloquent writing is its ability to convey the story’s atmosphere. I have read countless historical fiction books in this and similar settings and only a few have immersed me as deeply as this book did. The material is haunting but also hopeful. I especially enjoyed how much faith was incorporated, offering a bonus history of Poland's deeply rooted Catholicism. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I plan on purchasing a physical copy so I can do a deeper reread. This is the kind of book that deserves a devoted amount of time spent with it for reflection.

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery for providing a free digital copy to read and review.