Under a Sunburnt Sky

Nacha and her family are busy going about their daily lives in Warsaw, Poland, when a dark cloud hits the town. The arrival of the Nazis and their evil agenda of segregating the Jews in ghetto settlements throws Nacha’s family in great despair. They think their lives are over when they find themselves within the confinement of the concrete walls of the ghetto. Their close friends and neighbors, the Kostanski family who are Polish Catholics, have to come up with a plan to make life somehow bearable for Nacha’s family. Teenager Janek Kostanski offers to be the link between the two families - despite the ghetto being heavily guarded. Is that even possible?

With characters that are amazingly realistic, Lilly Mirren weaves together a story about Word War II that many historical fiction enthusiasts wouldn’t want to miss out on. The major theme of the book, overcoming evil, stretches the reader’s mind to its limits as he/she tries to figure out just how much evil a human being can wield on fellow human beings. The reader will appreciate just how much good people can be tested and refined under the heat of evil. Although there are gross and gruesome scenes in the book depicting some of the events of the war, the ray of hope and a good measure of suspense keeps the reader’s hands busy flipping through the pages. The couple of typos in the book takes nothing from the delightful rhythm of the flow of the storyline.

JM Lareen