As someone who has read my share of Holocaust-centric books, especially young adult novels like this one, I still find it surprising that a new take on the genre can come out of it, and What the Night Sings is no exception.
About ‘What the Night Sings’
For fans of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Number the Stars comes a musically intertwined audiobook and beautifully illustrated novel by Vesper Stamper about a teen Holocaust survivor. Using music as her striving force in finding her identity, Gerta explores friendship, love and being her true self.
‘What the Night Sings’ book review
What the Night Sings doesn’t feel like a rehash of the many other books of the genre. In fact, it feels so personal and accurately portrayed that it could almost be a true story.
Historically, music had a presence in many concentration camps during the Holocaust. Used both as an act of humiliation by the guards to the prisoners when forcing them to sing and chant during punishments, and in a more meaningful yet also tragic way: an act for survival.
I personally do not listen to audiobooks very often, but this book was one I was glad I listened to. The story is in part a true love story for music. Gerta’s singing and music from the viola are intertwined within the spoken words of the audiobook. It feels less like a book and more like a play. You can lean back, close your eyes and take in all the beautiful sounds.
Gerta is a singer and a daughter of a violist. Music was her life before she was taken away. It was a striving force for survival during her time as a prisoner, and then a therapeutic force for her recovery.
Although the audiobook has a lot to offer in the form of music, the written version is just as beautiful. Illustrations, which are drawn by the author, are throughout the book, retaining the originality the audiobook brought with the music.
Overall the story is sweet and original. The story primarily focuses on Gerta’s recovery after the camps are liberated in May of 1945. Similar to the innoncence that made the magic in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Gerta is by no means the most reliable narrator. Innocence and confusion are often characteristics throughout the story, especially in flashbacks to when Gerta and her father are first taken away. Gerta doesn’t realize she is Jewish. She doesn’t know what it means to be Jewish, and during her recovery she explores embracing what it really means to be a Jew.
What the Night Sings should definitely be added to the shelf of other young adult Holocaust literature like Number the Stars, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and The Book Theif, to name a few. Whether you are new to reading about the Holocaust, or a returning reader of the genre, this book and audiobook is one to remember.
What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper is available now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local independent bookstore. Also, don’t forget to add it to your Goodreads “to read” list.
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