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There, on the dusty floorboards, was a piece of paper, folded neatly. A newspaper article from 1941, written in German, alongside a faded picture of two men in Nazi uniforms staring at the camera. I was about to place it back in the box of forgotten things when something in the text jumped out at me. My breath caught in my chest. I know that name.
London, present day. Isla has grown up hearing her beloved grandad’s stories about his life as a child in pre-war Poland and as a young soldier bravely fighting the Germans to protect his people. So she is shocked and heartbroken to find, while collecting photos for his 95th birthday celebration, a picture of her dear grandfather wearing a Nazi uniform. Is everything she thought she knew about him a lie?
Unable to question him due to his advanced dementia, Isla wraps herself in her rainbow-coloured scarf, a memento of his from the war, and begins to hunt for the truth behind the photograph. What she uncovers is more shocking than she could have ever anticipated – a tale of childhood sweethearts torn apart by family duty, and how one young man risked his life, his love and the respect of his own people, to secretly fight for justice from inside the heart of the enemy itself…
An heartbreaking novel of love, betrayal and a secret passed down through a family. Inspired by an incredible true story. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, We Were the Lucky Ones and The Alice Network.
A photograph and a colourful scarf are two items found in an attic that send Isla into the past. She thinks the scarf is beautiful and shouldn't be left to moulder in the attic and wears it. The photograph elicits the totally opposite reaction. Shocked at what she sees, her grandfather in a Nazi uniform, Isla looks for answers. Her grandmother fobs her off with a vague explanation and her grandfather cannot be approached because of his advanced dementia. Isla is unwilling to let the matter drop. She needs to know that the beloved grandfather, who told her heartwarming stories of his childhood and the country of his birth, who fought with the Allies during the war, is not the person in the photograph. And so begins an emotional story that will transport the reader from pre-World War II Poland to the present.
I'd already guessed how Tomasz came to be in a German uniform as the enforced conscription of Polish youths into the German army was known to me. This was the fate of my now 95-year-old father at the age of sixteen years of age. Like Tomasz, he eventually made it to Scotland and joined the Allied fight against the Nazis, parachuting into Holland in 1944. So, I was eager to read The Rainbow but totally unprepared for how emotionally invested I became in Tomasz's story. The lovely dedication brought tears to my eyes even before I'd plunged into the story proper.
This is a beautifully written story that will tug at your heartstrings from the beginning, especially as one of the characters has dementia. As Isla delves into the past she will uncover a tale of love, sacrifice, survival, courage and loss. There is also a touch of magic as the significance of the rainbow coloured scarf is revealed.
The Rainbow is one of the finest World War II novels I've read this year. It is an engrossing and moving experience drawn from the author's family history and one I highly recommend.
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