Review: Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an advanced copy via Netgalley in exchanged for an honest review.

This book is well constructed and well written. I very much enjoyed Cilka's story and she was one of the most intriguing characters from The Tattooist of Auschwitz. She played a major role in Lale and Gita's story and I was excited to get to know more about her. While this is not based on interviews with the main character herself, the story is based on true events, interviews, and research found about Cilka and her experiences in Auschwitz-Birkenau and her time in a Russian prison camp.

I expected this to be about Cilka's time in Auschwitz, however the focus is about her time in Russia after WWII. Morris does take us back several times to give us the details about the horrors Cilka faced at the hands of the Germans and how she survived, however the focus is on her time surviving as a prisoner in the Russian gulag. Cilka was imprisoned for collaboration, but as you learn her story of survival and her compassion for others you may not see her as a collaborator. Her strength and will to live are the main focus of her tale, much like Lale's.

I enjoyed this a bit more than Tattooist. It read more like a novel where that read more like a script for a play or movie. There is more character development and the story while harrowing feels more realistic. This also is not a love story and while it is based on real people and real events it is a work of fiction and reads like a fiction novel. There were some things I didn't love about this, Cilka is portrayed as the most sought after woman in the prison camp by every man she encounters. It is a prison camp where they barely eat, rarely bathe, and every man falls madly in love with her. It is a trope I could have done without. It took away from the moment she found her true love. I felt like that with many of the situations, they lacked that spark of emotion I wanted to feel be it fear, anger, hope, etc. I felt sad and compassion for the characters as I read, but there were so many horrible things that happened to Cilka and the other women she lived with that I should have had more of an emotional response to the events and conditions they faced. This is indeed a harrowing tale, and I just wanted to feel more from it. Overall the storyline is good, it was just missing that emotional connection for me.

If you loved Tattooist, you will likely love this as well. The writing style is very similar and the characters you will encounter are just as brave and compassionate. Both books read as standalones, so you do not need to read The Tattooist of Auschwitz prior to reading Cilka's Journey. You will gain some perspective of who Gita and Lale are if you do, but it isn't necessary.

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