Send for Me by Lauren Fox is another WW2 novel about a Jewish family living in Germany. This genre certainly seems to publish in ebbs and flows and 2021 appears to be a flow year. We are barely into the new year and I am seeing a lot of new WW2 novels hitting the library floor with a late 2020 or 2021 publish date. I chose this one for two reasons. One, Jenna Bush recommended it and I find that she always has a great recommendations. Two, the author is a local writer and I try to support our local writers when I can.
I really liked this book. It tells the story of a family who emigrated to Milwaukee, WI from Germany before the start of WW2. This book is inspired by letters the author found in her grandmother’s basement. The story is heartbreaking, but worth the read. It can be a bit hard to follow at times because of the way the timeline goes back and forth. But, once you grasp her style of writing, it is easier to follow. I live in suburban Milwaukee, so it was interesting to hear about the neighborhoods I am familiar with in the book. In fact the neighborhood where her family landed is the college neighborhood that my alma mater is in and where my children have gone to college. It’s always fun to picture the areas you know well when described in a novel.
I however, did not read it. I listened to it on audible. I DO NOT recommend that. The woman who read the book has, without a doubt, the single most annoying way of speaking I have ever heard. I am not alone in this, the reviews of the recording are scathing. I should have paid attention. This is not a reflection, at all, on the quality of the writing or the story told. Next time I will. Read the book don’t listen to it.
Life In The Falls 