One of my first reads of 2023 was The Stolen Twins by Shari J. Ryan. I’m a huge fan of her books having previously read and reviewed The Maid’s Secret, The Girl with the Diary and The Doctor’s Daughter last year. But The Stolen Twins which is based on a true story tops it for me! Read on for a little bit about the book and my review.
Book Description
Auschwitz, 1944: “You can’t leave me,” I whisper, my hand trembling as I reach for her cheek. “You can’t. We’re in this life together, always, just you and me.” This utterly heartbreaking yet beautifully hopeful World War Two page-turner tells the story of identical twin sisters in Auschwitz. Born minutes apart, Arina and Nora have never left each other’s side—until now…
The cattle car is dark, except for the light filtering through the boarded windows. There are too many of us to count, crushed up against each other. The air is stuffy, carrying the scent of our terror—none of us know what awaits us when this train stops. I cling onto Mama’s hand and Nora, my twin sister, clutches Papa’s.
After what feels like forever, the train stops. We spill out of the carriage, the sun blinding us after being imprisoned in darkness for so long. There are people everywhere, soldiers separating children from their parents, husbands from wives.
We’re in some sort of queue, and a man in a dark-green SS uniform walks by, glancing at everyone he passes. “Twins, twins,” he shouts. My heart falls into the pit of my stomach.
“Right here,” says Mama, hesitation in her voice. “My daughters are twins.” My eyes widen, and Nora trembles. Papa tries to tell Mama to be quiet, but it’s too late.
The Nazi catches sight of us. “Twins,” he says again, pausing to inspect Nora and me. “Yes, you are, aren’t you? You two are going to come along with me.”
What I Thought
Near the end of WWII, identical Hungarian twins Arina and Nora have been swept away from their parents at Auschwitz, and to begin with, all they have is each other. Until they are spilt up by the treacherous Dr Mengele who loves to experiment on twins, especially as he has found a difference in them. One twin fares better than the other when the camp is eventually liberated.
They are sent in different directions not knowing if the other is alive. The story then moves onto life after Auschwitz for the girls, they fall in love and try to live some sort of life, reliving nightmares, and dealing with physical disabilities but a part of them is empty and missing the other.
The courage, love, and strength between the twins is extremely strong, they never give up looking for each other even when the other is halfway around the world.
The Stolen Twins was a book I couldn’t put down. I needed to know if they found each other. Once again Shari J. Ryan has excelled in her ability, this time to write such a detailed account of the horrors of Auschwitz and those at the hands of Mengele with such a powerful force and emotion.
Totally worth 5 stars! It has to be on your historical World War II fiction to be read list!
Author Bio
Shari J. Ryan is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Women’s Fiction, WWII Fiction, and 20th Century Historical Fiction with a focus on the Holocaust and Pearl Harbor.
Shortly after graduation from Johnson & Wales with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Shari began her career as a graphic artist and freelance writer. She then found her passion for writing books in 2012 after her second son was born. Shari has been slaying words ever since.
With two Rone Awards and over 125k books sold, Shari has hit the USA Today Bestseller List, the Amazon’s Top 100, Barnes & Noble’s Top Ten, and iBooks at number one. Some of Shari’s bestselling books include Last Words, The Other Blue Sky, Unspoken Words and A Heart of Time.
Shari, a lifelong Boston girl, is happily married to her personal hero and US Marine and they have two wonderful little boys. For more details about her books, visit: www.sharijryan.com
Where Can I Buy It?
The Stolen Twins is available to buy from Amazon.
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