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PERFECTLY ORDINARY PEOPLE
Nick Alexander
Lake Union Publishing
Published July 26th, 2022
399 pages
I have read four other books by Nick Alexander The Other Son, The Road to Zoe, From Something Old as well as The Bottle of Tears and they were all four or five-star reads for me. He is an author that NEVER disappoints so when I have a chance to read one of his books, I grab it.
The book is told in two different timelines. We have Ruth in the 90s’ searching out information on her paternal grandparents and in cassette form we have her grandmother discussing her experiences during WWII, in occupied France.
It is incredibly difficult to put into words all the feels this story gave me but I will try. The book made me cry, it is so heartbreakingly sad yet beautifully written. The torture that the Jewish people and those in the gay community suffered at the hands of the Nazis was devastating to me, what a harrowing experience it was to read about it let alone live it. This isn’t your typical World War II book, it is more about communities and family secrets, although I did learn a lot about the history during that time.
This book and its characters will stay with you long after you have finished reading it. The characters are all so very believable and even though there is some really tough subject matter there are also some light-hearted moments to make you smile and I loved that the book had such contrasting storylines, it was easier to continue with the tough parts that way. It was also very sad to learn that the author based this on actual events and even gives his readers a couple of book recommendations. Nick Alexander writes about ordinary people in the most extraordinary way.
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