Cilka’s Journey is one of the few sequels that made more of an impact on me than book number 1. Don’t get me wrong, I loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz, everything about it, but there is something painfully powerful about female friendship, loss and honour and Cilka’s Journey, infront of a hellish, nightmarish backdrop is a story of this and more.
A story that centers on a young woman who endures horrific hardships and unimaginable conditions numbs the reader to read about this horror, depravity, and evil. Her survival is a powerful testament to the triumph of human will. I can’t begin to tell you how many tears I cried in the second half of this book.
‘….because she was Cilka, a woman who had grace and charm and hope.’
‘Can you tell us more about Cilka Klein, the inspiration behind Cilka’s Journey? What made you decide to write a story inspired by her?
Cilka Klein was a Jewish girl from Bardejov, a small town in what is now Slovakia. She celebrated her 16th birthday in March 1942; a month later she was transported, along with her father and two sisters, to Auschwitz. A few weeks later she was transferred to Birkenau where she caught the eye of two senior SS officers and was singled out to be kept as their sex slave. Placed in a special block, No. 25, she survived until the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviet Red Army. Her nightmare continued when she was condemned for ‘sleeping with the enemy’ and sent to a Siberian gulag.
It was Lale Sokolov who told me about Cilka – “she was the bravest person I ever met”, he told me, “she was a tiny young girl. And she saved my life”.’
A truly excellent read.
