Book review- Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris

“She is just surviving, Cilka has often thought. There is no one way to do it.”

This other read from Heather Morris is the testimony of a classic combination of fiction based on actual events in the lives of the liberated prisoners aka Holocaust survivors. This novel is a kind of sequel to the author's first book titled The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

The book begins with the end of Cilka Klein’s liberation after her dreadful stay at Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. This momentary freedom turned into an event of horror, because of her “relationship” with the Nazi leader; the Russian government tries Cilka, who was found guilty of collaboration with Nazis and sent to Vortuka in Siberia to a work camp. The book details the challenges faced by her compelling fight to stay alive and endure all tortures, humiliation, disgust, and abuse. Cilka learns quickly that power, even unwillingly given, equals survival.

The “good times” begin when she is taken under the wing of a female doctor and finds endless resources within herself as she tends to the ill in the camp, confronting death and terror daily. When she nurses a man called Ivan, Cilka finds that despite everything that has happened to her, there is room in her heart for love and a new life.

The book is intertwined with Cilka’s grim memories of Auschwitz as well as her happier recollections of life with her parents and sister before the war. The book is a gripping read with a portrait of various characters.

I wholeheartedly recommend Cilka’s Journey for readers who appreciate the themes found in WW11 history and for those who look for stories about inspirational and strong women.