Code Name Sapphire

Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff 368 pages

 

No one writes about World War II quite like Pam Jenoff. She manages to find the forgotten stories of how important women were to conquering Hitler and the Nazis.

 

In this novel, Jenoff tells the story of three Belgian women from three different viewpoints. First there is Micheline, the elusive leader of the Sapphire network. Their mission: to spirit downed British pilots back to England so that they may live to fight another day. Micheline is tough, but she must be to do her job. It’s a credit to Jenoff that the pilots’ stories are not included.

 

Next is Hannah, a Jew, who has joined Sapphire in the hopes of escaping to America. She manages to secure a place on a ship headed for America, but upon arrival, the ship and its human cargo are turned away (for those that don’t know, this is a true story. To read more, try “Refuge Denied,” by Sarah A. Ogilvie).  Upon Hannah’s return, she turns to her wealthy cousin, Lilly, to protect her.

 

One night, a horrible mistake occurs, and Lilly, her husband and her son, are arrested, split up, and placed on trains bound for a camp. Lilly arrives first and has grown accustomed (if that is possible), to life in the camp. Her husband and son soon joined her. (I found that bit unrealistic that the family was housed together, as all other books I’ve read about the camps, men, women and children were separated.)

 

Then, Lilly and her family are once again, placed on a train and headed further east to another camp. Hannah enlists Micheline to help her stop the train and rescue the Jews bound for Auschwitz. Now comes the time when I must shut up or risk spoilers. It’s a harrowing escape story that will keep readers up until they reach the end of this novel.

 

Code Name Sapphire receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.