Book Club February Selection The Forest of Vanishing Stars

"The Forest of Vanishing Stars" is a historical fiction novel by Kristin Harmel. It was our February Book Club choice.

The novel is set against the backdrop of war-torn Poland. In the vast forests, the book explores themes of identity, destiny, the importance of belonging, and finding a home for the heart in even the harshest adversity. I learned about Jews who fled from the ghettos into the forest and were able to survive the German genocide by surviving in the wilderness.

I liked the beginning part of the novel with the element of magic realism or folklore and wished that some of that theme would have continued throughout the book. The novel starts with the kidnapping of a 2-year-old girl from a wealthy German household in 1922 by an old woman named Jerusza. This kidnapping, however, is not meant to harm the child but to keep her safe and on the path she was destined to take. Jerusza, who lives in the woods, has been “seeing things” and “hearing voices” that tell her that the child she names Yona is meant for a higher purpose. She will be known by the birthmark shaped like a dove on her wrist.

Yona, raised in the forest, was taught many things by Jerusza, including all that the forest had to offer in the way of food, medicinal herbs, ways to make a shelter, etc. She is taught how to hunt and cook. Yona held a map of the forest in her mind. She was also taught many languages and religions. Jerusza cautions her to stay in the forest and away from other people.

Regarding people, Yona speaks several languages and knows the depths of religious teachings but does not understand the language of love, family, belonging, or community. Yona has had no contact with any other people until Jerusza dies. Yona, now a young woman in her early twenties, feels a calling' to reach out to the people who have escaped the Germans into the forest to teach them how to survive.  Imagine how disturbing it is for Yona to learn that humans are actually hunting other humans in the forest. The children are especially poignant. The characters' interactions with Yona are insightful and revealing. As time passed, Yona realized her higher purpose was to help a group of innocent people survive, much like Jerusza had predicted.  

I really liked the author’s descriptive writing, so I was able to visualize the setting! There is an underlying theme of predestination versus choice. How much of our lives is destiny, and how much is choice? Can we choose how to react when bad things happen? So many aspects of this book resonated with me - surviving against all odds, the beauty and strength in people, the cruelty in others, grief, loss, survivors’ guilt, and the desire to live, give, and love were moving. 

In the author's notes, Harmel shares the research she undertook while writing this book, the people she spoke to, and her inspiration for writing it.  A wealth of information about who and what the author based her novel on appeared to be extensively researched by Harmel and were based on actual events. The imperative message of resilience and remembering is clearly reflected.

There were so many verses I wanted to include in the review, as I found myself highlighting memorable lines on every page. Hamel's superb writing will remain with you long after you have finished the book. 

As a sidenote, a movie from 2008 called Defiance parallels this storyline's events. Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber are the stars of the film.