The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard follows the life of a young boy living through the terrors of the Holocaust. The story is a harrowing, yet beautiful, portrait of tragedy and resilience told through the eyes of Aron, a Polish Jewish boy who is only nine years old when the Nazis invade Poland.
The novel begins in the year 1939. Aron is nine years old and living in the slums of Lodz, Poland. His father is absent, having abandoned the family a year earlier, while his mother and older brother, Marek, are both struggling to make ends meet. On the day the Nazis occupy their town, Aron and Marek are sent to stay with a family in a nearby village. Aron soon learns the hard truth that even small actions can be the difference between life and death.
Aron and Marek are repeatedly separated and reunited throughout the novel as they make their desperate journey across Poland. In each new town they reach, they find brutal and oppressive conditions. Aron desperately clings to his beloved older brother, feeling as though he is his only remaining source of protection, love and stability.
When the brothers join a travelling theater group, Aron meets Janusz Korczak, a Jewish doctor who runs an orphanage. Through Korczak's guidance, Aron begins to express his feelings of anger, despair, and guilt through the written word.
Aron's story is heartbreaking as he struggles to remain emotionally resilient amidst the brutality of the Nazi regime. Through his writing, he also discovers strength and courage as he begins to take control of his life despite the chaotic circumstances.
Ultimately, Aron and his family are taken to Warsaw, to the occupied side of the city, and sent to a ghetto. He is sent to the orphanage run by Dr. Korczak and manages to survive two years in the ghetto. Eventually, they are all deported to the concentration camps. Despite their horrific circumstances, Aron's story ends at least somewhat on a hopeful note, as he survives to tell his story.
The Book of Aron provides a powerful and moving look into the life of a young boy trying to survive under the most horrific circumstances. It follows a young boy's courage and resilience as he faces a world of destruction, deprivation, and tragedy. Although the story is undeniably heartbreaking, Jim Shepard gives readers hope through Aron's triumph and courage in the face of despair. With its powerful language and strong characters, The Book of Aron is an unforgettable and poignant look at the tragedies of the holocaust.
