“For Such a Time” by Kate Breslin is quite possibly the best book I have ever read. Each page engages the reader to keep turning pages because this book is so hauntingly beautiful. Never have I felt so close to the characters in any book. The subject matter is a difficult one, the Jewish population of Theresienstadt “Transfer” camp in Czechoslovakia during WW II. The central characters are an SS Kommandant, Aric von Schmidt who has taken a young woman from the firing squad in Dachau and brought her to be his secretary. Unbeknownst to him, she is a Jewish woman with false papers. As Stella (Hadassah) comes to know Aric better, she understands that he is living a life of torment because of the tasks required of him as an SS officer.

Stella tries to help her people by cajoling her boss, Aric into trying to make their lives as prisoners a little better without giving herself away. She has visions of escaping and making a life again. She doesn’t count on falling in love with the enemy.

Without giving anything away, I savored each page I read and became a part of the plot myself. I could envision all that Ms. Breslin wrote about and felt in through my soul. I must admit to tears coursing down my face at times when the brutality and ruthlessness of some of the SS got to my very heart. I tried to slow down my reading because I didn’t want the story to end, but my fascination kept me going and I finished this book too quickly. It’s a book I just want to carry around with me. I cannot say enough good things about Kate Breslin’s work. I have read other books of hers and really hope that she continues to give her readers more of her.

I downloaded a free Kindle copy from NetGalley.com in return for my honest review.