The Girl From the Train by Irma Joubert

Book Details

Author: Irma Joubert

Ages: 12+

Rating: 8/10

Number of Pages: 320

Plot: Set in Europe during and after the Second World War, the book focuses on the lives of two people and how the devastation of war brings them together. Six- year-old Gretl Schmidt, a German-Jewish girl, has faced the hardships of war first hand along with her family and now she is on a train headed for Auschwitz. Jakob Kowalski, a fighter in the Polish resistance, unaware of Gretl’s existence, is planting a bomb to the tracks. As the sole survivor of the bomb, Gretl is alone in Poland, a country hostile to her people with no one to look after her or help her survive. After Jakob finds Gretl alone and hungry he takes her to his family farm. For years, Jakob and Gretl must keep her true identity a secret amongst his Catholic family. After spending years learning and growing with Jakob and his family, Gretl becomes a key part of running the farm and also expresses a love of learning – but she cannot stay with him forever. Lying about her true inheritance, Jakob and Gretl return to Germany and Gretl is given the opportunity to travel to South Africa and find a new family. Separated by continents and the political conflicts of the time, Jakob and Gretl form an impenetrable bond that stays with them forever. In a story of history, politics and love Joubert creates a historical fiction with realistic characters and unique storyline that makes it stand out against other Nazi Germany novels.

 

Review: I was kindly given a complimentary copy of this novel from the publishers via BookLook Bloggers, and was excited to delve into the world created by Joubert. Having loved this period of history during my GCSE’s and read almost all of the young adult fiction around the subject, I thought I had quite a large knowledge around the subject – how wrong I was. This concept is not only unique, but introduced me to new parts of the period that I had not previously been aware of. One way in which I think Joubert achieved this, was through her use of two narrative voices. Through Gretl we get the Jewish perspective of the Nazi regime and the Second World War, and this is what is typically seen in ficition regarding this subject. However Joubert chooses to add a second narrative voice, in Jakob, who introduces the effects of German and Russian aggression on the Polish people. In my opinion, I think that it is this use of two interlinked narratives that makes Joubert’s work so unique in comparison to other World War II fiction.

“When you look at the moon, remember I am seeing it too.” – Jakob

It is undeniable that Joubert creates a range of realistic characters that fit the expected characteristics and beliefs of the groups at the time. However, I felt that at times I wanted to know more. There were a few moments in which I was left wanting more, especially in regards to Jakob and his struggles in Poland whilst Gretl was in South Africa. Although Joubert quickly remedies this near the end, I felt that, at times, the characters didn’t have the same exposure that the reader craves. At times I was left wondering what has happened to Jakob. This may have been to emphasise their distance, but, for me, it felt as if a huge chunk of the narrative had been discarded.

Despite this, I thought Joubert captured 20^th century Europe and its inhabitants in a realistic way that other writers have failed to convey. The depictions of the hardships of the war and the conflicts between communism and capitalism were vivid and memorable, so much so that it is, in my opinion, one of the best fictions set in the Second World War time for the young adult readership. I loved the characters, especially the development of Jakob’s characters as I feel Joubert really managed to capture the disastrous effects of war on the individual. Despite at points wanting more, I feel that, overall, Joubert captured these lives so beautifully that I think Gretl and Jakob will stay in my mind for a long time after reading the book. I would recommend this to anyone who loved The Book Thief or John Boyne’s work as Joubert deals with the same themes whilst introducing the reader to characters that you can’t easily forget.