'Taut, compelling and beautifully written – I loved it!’ ~ DAISY WOOD
'Tense and thought-provoking' ~ CATHERINE LAW
1940. As Soviet forces storm Lithuania, Zofia and her brother Jacek must flee to survive.
A lifeline appears when Japanese consul Sugihara offers them visas on one condition: they must deliver a parcel to Tokyo. Inside lies intelligence on Nazi atrocities, evidence so explosive that Nazi and Soviet agents will stop at nothing to possess it.
Pursued across Siberia on the Trans-Siberian Express, Zofia faces danger at every turn, racing to expose the truth as Japan edges closer to allying with the Nazis. With the fate of countless lives hanging in the balance, can she complete her mission before time runs out?
‘Such an interesting and original book…. Informative, full of suspense and thrills.’ ~ Netgalley Review
Zofia and her brother, Jacek, had taken refuge in Lithuania from Poland, but that safety had come to an end. Russian troops moved in and, quickly, Lithuania was no longer safe. With little choice but to hide, Zofia is desperate to leave, to move on away from Lithuania and further from the oppressing fear of both Soviet and Nazi regimes so close.
The Japanese consul, Sugihara, seeing the plight of the Jewish refugees queueing outside in the hopes of safe passage somewhere, anywhere, that wasn’t near the incoming danger, starts to hand out visas, granting passage for countless Jews through Japan. But as he is forced to move on, Zofia finds her own visa hanging in the balance, until a compromise is reached – if Zofia and Jacek can deliver a parcel to Tokyo, their visas will be granted. Without another choice, they agree, moving on to board the Trans-Siberian Express, with eye-witness accounts and photographs of the Nazi atrocities on Jews tucked safely into a parcel in Jacek’s bag to show General Sato the truth about what was happening in Germany before Japan makes the choice to side with them.
This book is a whirlwind of action and emotional turmoil! This is the kind of book that keeps you up until the middle of the night, or that you fall asleep reading, because you just can’t put it down. Travelling to Tokyo from Lithuania, Zofia finds herself in near-constant danger as she passes through borders and checkpoints. A lot of people want to keep the parcel Jacek is carrying from falling into the hands of Japanese, to keep the truth from coming out, and they would do anything to stop Zofia and Jacek from reaching their destination. With Nazi soldiers and the NKVD closely following her every move, Zofia barely manages to keep herself out of their reach – but she is on a train with only one destination, and the stops are pre-determined. If they want to find her, they know exactly where she will be, and when. This is such an intense novel, for there are no moments of respite. The action and fear is constant, reflecting to the reader the terror that Jewish refugees actually making this trip must have felt.
Having different perspectives allows the reader to know who to trust and who to not trust, and knowing who will cause danger for Zofia absolutely tugs at your heartstrings, for you can’t quite tell when things are going to happen, and it is impossible to jump through the pages to warn her. Zofia is a character you can’t help but absolutely love. She is determined, but that doesn’t mean she is not scared, and at every turn when her life is in danger, you end up sat on the edge of your seat, with fingers crossed that this isn’t when she meets her end.
I didn’t previously know anything about Lithuania, or much about Japan, during WWII. Zofia originally fled from Poland, which is a much wider-known place in history, but this book shows just how displaced the Jews who escaped Soviet gulags and the Nazi concentration camps ended up. With both the Soviets and the Nazis a prominent enclosing force in this novel, alongside such brilliant description and historical details about this period of history, this book will absolutely entrance you, while you perch precariously on the edge of your seat waiting for danger to arrive.
For fans of WWII history, who enjoy thrilling stories full of action, danger, spies, and a little bit of a love story, this is absolutely the book to read. Even if not, this book should not be overlooked, for it is absolutely wonderful, and one of the best books I have read this year.
Deborah Swift is the English author of twenty historical novels, including Millennium Award winner Past Encounters, and The Poison Keeper the novel based around the life of the legendary poisoner Giulia Tofana. The Poison Keeper won the Wishing Shelf Readers Award for Book of the Decade. Recently she has completed a secret agent series set in WW2, the first in the series being The Silk Code.
Deborah used to work as a set and costume designer for theatre and TV and enjoys the research aspect of creating historical fiction, something she loved doing as a scenographer. She likes to write about extraordinary characters set against a background of real historical events. Deborah lives in England on the edge of the Lake District, an area made famous by the Romantic Poets such as Wordsworth and Coleridge.
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I am absolutely thrilled that you enjoyed the book so much! Thank you for this lovely review - you have just made my day.
ReplyDeleteI really did enjoy it so much! I'm so glad you like my review!
DeleteThank you so much for hosting Deborah Swift today, and for your wonderful review of Last Train to Freedom. I'm so glad you enjoyed the novel.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
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