Nazi-occupied Paris, 1942. Ten-year-old Sarah and her parents are awakened in the night and taken away. Sarah’s younger brother, terrified, locks himself in a cupboard. Sarah takes the key and promises to return. She is determined to survive and return to Paris.

Paris, 2002. An American reporter, Julia, her French husband and their daughter seem to live fairly ordinary lives. They are preparing to move into his grandmother’s soon-to-be-renovated apartment. Julia is determined to learn Sarah’s fate.

Sarah’s Key is the compelling story of Sarah’s trials, which begin with a summer day—long-forgotten in the history of France—that President Jacques Chirac recently described as “an injury to our past and to our traditions.” It is also the story of Julia and her in-laws and how their lives intertwined with Sarah’s and her brother’s.

An eloquent and empathetic novel, Sarah’s Key is nearly impossible to put down. Again and again, the reader thinks she’s unravelled the connections between Sarah and Julia, but no, a few pages later, she learns differently.

Sarah’s Key is a memorable and poignant story, rich in intrigue and suspense—and history.  

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