A review by aravenclawlibraryx
The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Title: The Librarian of Auschwitz

Author: Antonio Iturbe

Genre: Historical Young Adult

Format: hardback library book

Series: NA

Star Rating: 2 stars

tw: holocaust horrors, grievous injury, use of words retard and gypsy, homophobia, parental death

I always feel so awful when I rate Holocaust books low, especially ones based on a true story, like this one. I just feel so guilty because I know that what these characters went through is absolutely horrible. I wouldn’t feel authentic as a reviewer if I didn’t give my honest feelings about the book and rate it accordingly But this one just did not work for me. It all came down to the writing style and the main character. 

I’ll start with the writing style. I had two problems with it. First, I thought it would be about the main character, Dita. but it wasn’t. There were two other characters and they themselves had entirely separate plot lines that didn’t relate to Dita. It just didn’t fit with the story. The only similarity they had was they were all at Auschwitz. That’s it. It was a weird choice. I don’t even remember their names because I don’t think their stories ended well. That might be a spoiler and I’m sorry if it is. 

The second problem was the way Dita’s story was conveyed. It bounced back and forth from past to present. Normally, I wouldn’t mind that but it really only works when something in the present triggers a memory of the past. We would just be thrust into the past for no reason. There was also no way of knowing when you would be thrust into the past. It would just happen in the middle of a chapter. It was very confusing. 

I also got to talk about how slow the book was. Now I love a good slow-burn book but this one was not it. Nothing happened. I understand that they were in a camp but it felt like things could pick up a bit. This book was really just a lot about Dita’s feelings about being in the camp. My heart did break for her but I was still frustrated with the very slow plot. 

Overall, while this book is absolutely heartbreaking, I can’t forgive how slow it was or the weird writing style choices. I feel devastated that those children lost their childhood and will have to deal with a life of trauma. Overall, while I feel for Dita and her story, this book just wasn’t it.