‘The Earth is Singing’ – Vanessa Curtis

The Earth is Singing

 

As you would expect with any novel that is set at this time in history, the subject matter is not remotely pleasant but it is a book that I feel makes compelling reading.

Hanna is 15 years old. She is Latvian, and also Jewish. Her dream is to be a dancer. Unfortunately, the Nazis arrive in her hometown and everything changes.

For anyone who doesn’t know much about what happened to the Jews during this period in time, this novel makes a fascinating starting point. Seeing events through the eyes of a slightly older teenager means we are given some awareness of the wider issues, while those around her still try to protect her from the true horrors of what is taking place. For those readers who do have some knowledge of this period in time, you read with grim determination. You know this is going to make for unsettling reading but you feel bound to continue.

With this novel I felt that the character of Hanna was so well-portrayed that you want to see out her story. For me, the most powerful scenes in the novel are when Hanna and those around her are at their most desperate. We witness people at their lowest, and the factual way Hanna observes these events made them – for me – more meaningful.

I would certainly recommend this to people to read, though I didn’t personally like the ending. It makes sense in terms of the story, but I don’t think it fits with what we were shown of the character of Uldis earlier in the novel.

I read this because it is on the 2016 CILIP Carnegie Long-list, and I would not be surprised to see this make it to the next stage.