Martha Hall Kelly’s debut novel, Lilac Girls moved me in ways a book hasn’t in a long time. Through the voices of three women who lived through WWII, their lives intertwined through the horrors of the Holocaust, Kelly manifests a divine and touching story based on true events.
Caroline Ferriday’s life and charitable acts are the backbone of the novel. Ferriday, a New York socialite, retired actress and philanthropist is introduced to us early on, a generous protagonist who would almost seem too good to relate to if it weren’t for her very vulnerable up and down relationship with the deliciously handsome (married) French actor, Paul Rodierre.
Kasia’s character plays homage to an all but forgotten group of Polish women, nicknamed the Rabbits who were the victims of gruesome medical experiments conducted at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. We follow Kasia as she grows up (much too quickly) through her stay at the concentration camp and into older years as a wife and mother still battling with the wounds both physical and emotional the war- years left her with.
Herta is based on the real-life, German doctor, Herta Oberheuser who was put on trial for her criminal acts during the Rabbit experiments. Kelly’s inclusion and portrayal of Herta has the reader battling with the idea of finding any kind of relatability with a woman who could rationalize such horrific acts.
The three women’s stories leave us touched, horrified, and solemn with each chapter.
Kelly has a gift for weaving even the most grotesque details into a hauntingly beautiful narration. The tenderness with which Kasia speaks of her Matka, the painfully overpowering love Caroline has for Paul, and the manipulative justification Herta finds in her passion for surgery lingered with me long after I put the book down (which wasn’t easy to do).
If you are any kind of fan of historical fiction, this book will inspire you to learn as much as you can about this group of survivors who lived through the worst of the worst. Kelly’s own research can’t go un-noted, with even the littlest details such as what the honored guests who attended the 1945 April Un Paris Ball were wearing, being spot on.
This book is as beautiful and alive as the lilacs are in Caroline Ferriday’s garden.