How, and I mean how... how is can this author just capture your interest where you can do nothing but read this book through in one sitting... or two. The first, the Tattooist of Auschwitz was a book that tugged at my heart. This one brought another level of intensity. We learn about what happens to those who are not free after being released from the camps. Some go home. Some do not. This is a story telling us all about the other side of the Holocaust that many of us do not know or haven't even learned about in history lessons. The story follows Cilka and her journey towards freedom, love, inner strength, power, and the will to fight. This is a book that I am going to be using as a book discussion pick for my job as a librarian. While you may have wanted to read the Tattooist first, you do not need to. This is a wonderful standalone book that touches on the struggles of those who lived in such a horrific time.