Lale is a Slovakian Jew. He hands himself in for deportation when his government collaborates with the Nazi regime. He is sent to Auschwitz where his skills and knowledge offer him a degree of protection. Lale is moved to the relative safety of the gypsy camp and is responsible for tattooing every new arrival. One woman catches his eye and love blossoms in the most terrifying place imaginable…
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a fictional account of the true war experiences of Lale. There has been some controversy about alleged errors but I think this book brings the camp to life and it is clearly fiction and not intended as a factual account.
I have read several books set in Auschwitz as well as non fiction books. Most of the fiction centres upon women and their experiences so I enjoyed reading about a man’s perspective especially as he worked with the author to give his account.
Hope and horror intermingle as the plot unfolds. Luck plays a huge role in Lale’s story as does the determination to survive at any cost. Love gives him a purpose but he also relies on the kindness of others and not getting caught doing dangerous transactions to secure better conditions for himself and his friends.
The book doesn’t shy away from the horrors of the camp. A certain amount of detachment is required by the characters to survive the trauma of their experiences. This translates into a simple narrative style to focus on events rather than emotion.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a gripping story, made more poignant by its basis on real life events.
Book blurb
In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.
Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.
One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.
A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov’s experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible condition
