The Book of Lost Names

Our Review

THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES by Kristin Harmel is set in France after the German invasion.

Eva Traube Abrams comes across an article in the New York Times about the book of lost names that she hasn’t seen in over sixty years.

Eva and her parents lived in an apartment in Paris. She and her mother flee Paris after her father is arrested and sent to a prison camp. They find refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, where Eva begins forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to Switzerland.

Eva falls in love with a handsome forger named Rémy. While they are erasing the children’s identities, they also keep a secret book that identifies each child, so that after the war they can be reunited with their families.

This is a real page-turner that moves smoothly between present day and World War II France. Just when you think all is lost, the author delivers a satisfying conclusion. I loved this book and recommend it.