The Dark Room

The Dark Room    … by Rachel Seiffert

The Dark Room is one of the best novels I have read in the recent times. It is a collection of three stories set in the backdrop of the world war. It portrays the life pre-war and how people took it, hardships of the common people during the war, and how the present generation lives with the fact that holocaust and killings took place in their own land, by their own forefathers of the nation. Guilt engulfs when poring over the dark history and this author captures the complicated emotions in the present generation of people. 

Helmut aspires to join the Army but ends up as a photographer, who loves his skill as photographer. He is devastated by the war and left lonely forever with his photos. I really liked the character of Lore, who dares to take the long walk all the way up north with her siblings just because her mom wants them to, and Lore’s mom meticulous preparation of the kids for their long journey, knowing that she would be taken off from them forever.  Micha life becomes complicated when he wants to pursue the real life of his grandfather

The long walk of Lore was really moving and full of unknowns, and the quest of Micha’s pain was understandable. I felt pandora boxes are best left unopened, for they might cause more harm than good.