This book is part of the Simon and Schuster book club pick for March 2022. Check out Simon & Schuster’s page to join the FB and YouTube live discussion/author interview on April 4 @ 1 PM ET (https://www.simonandschuster.com/p/book-club-favorites-rsvp)

This and last week’s post (The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles) are both historical fictions set against the backdrop of World War II.

Get ready for the emotional rollercoaster ride of your life.

When baby girl Inge gets kidnapped before her 2^nd birthday, stolen from wealthy German parents and hidden away in the Polish forest for years, she had no idea of the important role she was meant to play decades later in a future war. Jerusza, a woman from and connected to the forest, trains Yona (originally baby Inge) to familiarize herself with every inch of the forest and learn everything about survival for the day is coming when Yona’s survival skills will be put to the test. Yona wonders her whole life why her strict mentor, Jerusza, trained her so meticulously and kept her away from civilization. After Jerusza’s passing, she has her first contact with people… coming across a group of Jewish refugees hiding out in the forest to escape execution by the Nazis that have occupied Poland.

As the refugees learn how utilize what the forest provides, in turn, Yona is taught how to open her heart and find a sense of community with others for the first time in her life.

But danger is constantly lurking, both in the forest and the Nazi occupied towns, as the group fights against the harsh natural environment and avoids getting captured and killed by Nazi officers.

Along the way, Yona’s past and present collide. She must choose where her loyalty lies, where her true home and heart lie…as her decision may be the deciding factor on whether people live or die.

Love, love, love this book! It is right up my alley of favorite things to read. Here’s why:

Touching, moving, soulful. Tear-jerker! I knew the universe brought this book to me when my heart and soul fluttered enthusiastically after I read the first chapter (yes, this is a perfect way to measure what stirs you deeply). Reminds me of Prince of Egypt (1998 movie) – faith, God, life beyond the suffering and Cast Away (2000 movie) – wilderness survival.

Kristin Harmel introduces the mystical and spiritual elements right off the bat! And I am all for it! Yona is special. Jerusza sensed it the night she was called to kidnap the girl and mentor her, feeling Yona had a larger purpose to serve which wouldn’t make itself known until the start of WWII and when Yona, an adult, comes across the Jewish refugees. Yona is one with the forest, having a strong intuition and internal compass that becomes invaluable to the runaways’ survival.

Yona is amazing! I love that we have this kick-ass, wilderness savvy heroine who the male group leaders (like Aleksander and Zus) look up to and respect. Love that we didn’t have the stereotypical male hero who is the outdoorsman and knows all the survival techniques that was the protagonist of the story. Always refreshing to have characters that break traditional gender roles and stereotypes.

And, bless Yona, I really felt for her trying her best to be a protector of the group, likeable and team player. She’s never socialized with others. Was always a lone wolf. And group dynamics…get complicated (think Lord of the Flies by William Golding – but not as violent). Yona never felt like she fit in with the others though she desperately desired a family-like bond, intimacy and affection. It was beautiful and sometimes heart-wrenching to see her face life and people: heartbreaks, arguments, tenderness, intimacy. It’s rough out there – and not just in the forest.

Likewise, we get to read each character’s development to adapting to the forest. Their resilience and teamwork are very admirable and heartwarming. You’ll get attached to all the characters real quick! I loved Leib, Rosalia, Chaim, Zus and Ruth and her daughters most! They were badass but also total sweethearts.

Total page-turner! Suspenseful! Un-put-down-able! Continuous action, drama and suspense – you will not be bored! I devoured this book. I’ll warn you now: this book will make you cry non-stop. It is sobering and sickening to read about the thousands of innocent lives lost as a result of the mass executions and Nazi propaganda. Through each character, we experience their grief, loss, sadness. We feel their frustration and anger towards their situation, their suffering and the enemies who have taken everything from them. My heart hurt for these characters. Seriously, I had tears in my eyes during the entire read! How could such an atrocity like this happen? The sheer destruction and erasure of generations and lineages…it’s beyond me…

As much as it is a story that reminds us of all that was lost during those fateful years, it is also an inspiring story of hope, faith, strength and community. It highlights the darkness of mankind but also the light and resilient spirit of mankind.

Emotionally stirring. Inspiring. Courageous. A deep and heart opening look into one of recent history’s most challenging and significant times.

By (most likely) unpopular opinion, I will say this: I respect that Harmel did not villainize the Nazi officers. They are the antagonists but I found she didn’t portray them as callous monsters. Yes, they did horrific things! Not dismissing that.

But here’s the humanistic aspect that I think The Forest of Vanishing Stars discusses well. In the end, it’s all about survival. Nazi officers and refugees were forced to do what they needed to do to survive. The world isn’t black and white. The lines between good and evil are blurred. Everything is gray. The characters are all morally gray. Another favorite aspect of mine (check out anything else I read and review, I’m a total sucker for morally gray characters)! Human beings placed under a stress test (i.e. war and survival) will bring out the best and worst in all of us. Not all the Jewish refugees acted in a noble or heroic manner. Not all the Nazi officers were as cold-hearted and ruthless killers.

We get to see scenes were the group Yona helped and regarded as a family made her feel like an outsider. And we see scenes where Nazi officers showed compassion towards Yona, which allowed her to avoid capture and execution multiple times. Humans are as unpredictable as the ever-changing natural elements. But that’s what makes us interesting – our complexity.

It also reminds us that during a time of fear, war and distrust, there are still good people. Still a light of hope – as demonstrated each day the group was able to avoid capture and death. Each day they got to find shelter, food and comfort with each other. Each day they got closer to living through the devastation and destruction. And as demonstrated by compassionate, courageous leaders like Zus, Yona, the nuns and many more who helped others without hesitation, even when it put themselves in more danger.

Thrilling. Harrowing. Absolutely courageous group efforts. And yes, this is a fictional book, but let it put into perspective the real-life survivors who did experience this more than half a century ago. They truly are heroes and my heart goes out to them.

And as an environmental lover, I mean, come on. The Forest of Vanishing Stars is just gold. The environmental descriptions and survival details were beautifully written. Appreciated the meticulous research that went into crafting this book. Learned a few good tips for survival myself! I highly recommend reading the “Author’s Note” chapter because Harmel goes into further detail about her research while developing this book, noting how she worked to keep the book’s setting as similar to its real geographic layout as much as possible. The time and effort she took to meticulously learn the event through interviews and reviewing historical content documenting and discussing the real-life survival groups. Truly commend her for her hard work, attention to detail and compassionate storytelling to commemorate the inspiring tales of the WWII survivors.

Read this book. You will reach levels of compassion you never thought possible.