Book Blurb:
During Stalin's brutal reign of terror, Janek, a Polish soldier, and his wife, Wanda, endure the horrors of Soviet labor camps and Siberian gulags as World War II rages across Europe. While millions perish, they endure the invasion of Poland by Germany and Russia and then miraculously survive mass deportations, imprisonment, torture, and starvation.
Broken both physically and emotionally by their near-death experiences and the unspeakable atrocities of dictatorships and of war, Janek and Wanda are reunited seven years after he marched off to defend his country. They must begin a new life and try to forget the many scars of their past, but where? And can they ever truly forget all that happened to them while they were apart...
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/EPzT
Editorial Review:
“Slumped almost lifelessly against the tufts of her chair, Wanda stared out an open window overlooking a lovely garden. Warm August rains had colored the grounds with a sea of vibrant flowers, their scent filling her room like a bouquet, though she barely noticed. Occasionally, even the most insignificant events would trigger memories from a time long gone: a soft whisper, a faint smell, the delicate warmth of a child’s breath against her face, the soothing melody of a Mozart sonata. It was at those moments that Wanda would waken from her darkness and, with a look of fear spreading across her face, remember her family in Radom, who had no idea that a hundred miles south, the skies rained gray with the ashes of a thousand souls.”
“Like Embers in the Night” by Andrew Goliszek is a haunting, evocative tale of World War Two and its aftermath, with a focus on the horrors inflicted on the Polish people. The book opens with a graphic reference to Auschwitz and moves to recalling the Katyn massacre. How people and society can ever heal after such appalling losses is an enduring question, and the two central characters, Wanda and Janek, continue to be prisoners of the past. “Like Embers in the Night” commences in 2004, in Ohio. Wanda has dementia, and, with such memories stored in her mind, returns to lucidity are not particularly welcome and only bring further pain. On occasion Wanda remembers Janek, and reminisces that he is handsome. Such recollections are heartbreaking, and the reader will wonder how one person is to survive such continuing pain.
The narrative then moves to 1939, in Lwow, Poland. The significance of the timeframe is obvious, and the unfolding story well-written. Janek, a Polish officer, is captured, and is fearful of the fate of his wife Wanda and daughter Sophie. He is taken to a prison camp, where further graphic scenes play out. The terror is not only physical. Told that “Poland no longer exists” he realises that he and his fellow soldiers will be forced to give up personal information, which will then be used against them. Janek lies about the existence of Wanda and Sophie in an effort to save them. The utter hopelessness of Poland and its displaced and traumatized people is profound.
“To survive six years of the two most brutal regimes in modern history was not only unlikely, it was truly a miracle. But amongst the ashes and smoldering ruins, broken lives and unspeakable horrors of war, miracles did happen; survivors who’d lived to tell their children of war and gulags, of victors and unlikely heroes, trying in vain to forget the shocking cruelty of a world that had taken everything they had from them, living their lives in the shadows as if no one else in the world cared. It’s said that these heroes are like embers in the night, glowing brilliantly in the darkest moments of history, forever changing the course of humanity, and then, just as suddenly, vanishing as distant memories fade and the world forgets what ordinary men and women did when hope was gone and all seemed lost.”
Both Wanda and Janek are compelling characters with distinct and believable personalities and character arcs. There are secondary characters; family members, a sympathetic nurse, terrifying occupiers. Throughout it all, Wanda’s spirit shines, and every reader will relate to Janek’s focus on protecting his family and his country, although at great personal cost. The characters’ personal relationships are all authentic, particularly Wanda and Janek, who must reconnect after finally being reunited. The pacing of the book is measured, but appropriate for the storyline, and historical background is skilfully woven into the overall narrative.
“Like Embers in the Night” also focuses on the post-war period, and the situation of immigrants to the United States of America from war-torn Europe. Such a major voyage and re-settling means further upheaval, although great opportunity awaits.
“Splendor exuded from every square inch of every wall and ceiling. From gilded entranceways to teak decks to bathrooms with Florentine tile and bronze faucets, it was as though they’d fallen asleep and entered a dream. They had just come from a place where refugees thanked God for hot water and leftovers to a place where people gorged themselves like pigs and threw out more food than Wanda would cook in a month. That first night, they strolled the decks and stopped every few minutes to marvel at it all. Nothing they’d ever seen compared. If this was what a ship carrying them to America was like, they wondered, what was America itself like? They weren’t naïve enough to think that its streets were paved with gold, but surrounded by this kind of luxury, they started to believe they had made the right decision.”
The ending of “Like Embers in the Night” is deeply emotional, but will satisfy the reader, bringing the story of Wanda and Janek, their family and their homeland around in a full circle.
“Like Embers in the Night” by Andrew Goliszek is a heartrending story that will stay with the reader for some time after the final page is finished. That is the mark of well-written historical fiction; Wanda and Janek will seem very real to the reader. It is one of the world’s great tragedies that the pages of this gripping fictional novel were the reality of life for so many millions of their generation. An immersive return to one of history’s darkest chapters, where the human spirit survives the unthinkable. An absorbing read!
*****
“Like Embers in the Night” by Andrew Goliszek receives 4 ½ stars from The Historical Fiction Company
To enter the HFC Book of the Year contest and request an editorial review, please visit www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/book-awards/award-submission
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