A Song of Silence: A Gripping Holocaust Novel Inspired by a Heartbreaking True Story

By Steve Lee (Blue Zoo, May 2024)

Genre: Historical Fiction/WWII fiction

Pages: 384

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“My friend, we live in a world where if good people do nothing, the things bad people do will only get worse and worse.”

That’s a central theme in Steve N. Lee’s latest historical fiction release, A Song of Silence: A Gripping Holocaust Novel inspired by a Heartbreaking True Story. It’s 100% riveting!

Here’s why:

The Basics

Poland, Fall 1939. Mirek “Papa” Kozlowski, a widower, is the director of an orphanage of nearly 100 children in a “sleepy little backwater” village in Poland. Mirek funds the orphanage with royalties from the sale of his children’s books (our kinda guy).

Mirek houses nearly 100 children and two staff members, elderly cook and housekeeper Hanka and young Ania-Maria Kisiell “with two lls.” The kindness, loyalty, courage and compassion of Hanka and Ania stand in stark contact to the cruelty and rank barbarism of the Nazis. So this book isn’t for the faint-hearted. Just sayin’.

Well. All is well with Mirek and his “family.” Until the Germans invade Poland. And everything is turned upside down. To put it mildly. You can almost hear the gun shots. The screaming, “so much screaming” as the invaders orchestrate a cacophony of death. Indescribable brutality and savagery rain down upon the innocent civilian population of this un-named Polish town. Lee captures the Poles’ terror and despair so effectively, it left one of us sweating bullets (Hi again, Mom).

“Yes, the Germans are here. But so are we.”

Struggling to survive under the “crushing darkness” and “obscene brutality” of Nazi occupation, Mirek wonders “what carnage would they (the Germans) wreak next time? And how could he ensure his children didn’t get caught up in it?” Meanwhile, the whole town and its citizenry become “Germanized” and face “cultural extermination.”

It’s chilling.

How???

In the midst of the chaos and brutality, Mirek wonders, “How could he protect his children from that?” After all, he has “89 children to look after, a three-story house to maintain, an occupying army to placate. Like this was a time for romance, even if he wanted it.” Sparks soon fly between Mirek and Ania.

But other “sparks” fly, too. Darkness drenches every street. Every building. Every house and every face. It’s epitomized by SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer Hans Josef Kruger, a “psychotic German with an itchy trigger finger.” Meanwhile, what are the Germans building in the forest at the edge of town? (And yes, we did know about the vans prior to reading this book. Some of us are pretty well-read on the period.)

“… what had it come to that good people would sit by and let such atrocities happen?”

The Question

Mirek is soon faced with the ultimate question upon which not only his future but the futures of all those he cares about hinges: What can he do to resist Nazi terror? Mirek’s not a military man. He’s no secret agent. But he is a writer. Yes, … a writer….

“Enough is enough. The time had come to fight back. Fight mean, and fight dirty.”

As dangers mount and German atrocities increase, Mirek realizes that his only chance at saving his children is… Oh, wait. You’ll have to read the book yourself to find that out.

Think Father Hugh O’Flaherty in The Scarlet and the Black (Gregory Peck, Christopher Plummer, 1983). Or Gladys Aylward in The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (Ingrid Bergman, 1958). Or Corrie ten Boom in The Hiding Place (Jeannette Clift, Julie Harris, Arthur O’Donnell, 1977). If you haven’t seen these movies, now would be good. 

Top That?

We read Lee’s initial WWII historical fiction release, To Dream of Shadows last year. (Click here for our review). It was a good, solid book. We loved it! So when the author contacted us for a possible review of Song, we wondered, “How in the world is he gonna top Shadows?”

Just shows ya what we know. Hi, Mom.

Startling, Stunning

Tightly written and expertly paced, Song is startling in its emotional depth and stunning in its epic sweep. Intense, absorbing and highly readable, most chapters end with a cliff-hanger that compels readers to turn the page. And the next. And the next. Indeed, readers are soon swept into this searing saga of desperation, betrayal, loyalty and love laced with heart-pounding action, robust characters and a deeply evocative storyline.

A Must-Read

We missed Second Breakfast, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, Dinner and Supper to finish this book. Cuz we couldn’t put it down! So consider Song a must-read, especially in light of recent world events.

Now to scare up some chow…. And I don’t mean stinging nettles goulash… You’ll get that if you read the book. Now would be good.

Our Rating: 5.0