We Were the Lucky Ones

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter 416 pages

 

In another review (for The Sunflower House), I mentioned that I was always surprised by the stories still left to be of World War II---and we’re still 20 years this side of the end of the war. While the former was about the baby factories, this one is the tale of a Jewish family’s struggle to survive, and to reunite.

 

I’m glad that author Georgia Hunter put a family tree at the beginning. I had to refer to it several times because of all the family members, the spouses, and the grandchild. Sol and Nechuma had five children, ranging from 31-year-old Genek to 21-year-old Halina. Without going back to look, each of the children has a chapter or more to tell their part of the story.

 

The Kruc family was a happy one, living their lives in the Jewish traditions of 1938 Poland. They were well aware of the rhetoric spewing from Germany and the possibilities of another war. This time with Adoplh Hitler leading the charge.

 

One thing that really sets this novel apart from the others is that it focuses on one family, and the piece de resistance (no pun intended) of the provided timeline. Between each chapter, Huner provides historical facts about major news events. These factoids are no more than a page in length, most no more than half a page.

 

Given what each individual experiences, the stories, which flow well and in a chronological manner, can be intense, so it is nice to have that small break.

 

As the family breaks apart, they scatter to various other countries like France, Siberia, Persia, Argentina to escape the Nazis and find a safe place to live until the war was over. Still each and every one of the characters has two goals: to survive Hitler and to reunite. Is that too much to ask? Sometimes, it seems so, and almost impossible to achieve.

 

I understand that this novel has already been made into a series on a streaming channel, but I don’t have that so I’ll probably never see it.  I’m sure the book is better anyway. We Were the Lucky Ones receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.