Review of Chameleons
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Danielle Briggs
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Review of Chameleons
[Following is a volunteer review of "Chameleons" by Martin Wyatt.]
With hopes of reuniting with his wife in the afterlife, Charlie is sent back in time to observe Brygida, a brave Jewish woman living in Poland right before World War II. Her grandfather knew that German occupation was imminent and tried to use nature and religion to teach her and his other grandchildren survival techniques. With all his predictions coming true, Brygida, her twin sister, and their family are thrown into the Warsaw Ghetto. With the treatment of Jewish people becoming worse and worse, Brygida uses the lessons her grandfather taught her to come up with a plan. Brygida determines that maybe she can make a difference from behind enemy lines and decides she and her sister need to infiltrate the Commandant of Auschwitz’s compound. As they succeed in their plan, the twins realize things are much worse than they could have imagined. They have no idea of the horrors they are about to face or the amount of resolve they will need to survive the hatred and evil of the Nazis.
I greatly enjoyed the constant contrast of the beauty of nature with the evil of the Nazis. By beginning a paragraph with the beauty and tranquility of nature, readers are then shocked with the conflicting descriptions of the Nazi treatment of Jewish people. Even after learning about some of the horrors of the Holocaust before this book, the vivid, incredibly detailed descriptions forced me to imagine what it would be like to be a prisoner in one of the camps. At times, I had to put the book down to digest and process the horrors the twins saw and went through, but this only added to the realism of the book, as most of these acts truly happened.
I loved the bond between Brygida and Mysz. Through all they went through, the twins were a constant for each other, and their bond gave them something to hang on to. As a twin myself, I felt a strong connection to the girls’ bond and need for each other since I feel strongly connected to my own sister.
The only thing I did not like about this book is that I felt there was not much need for Charlie’s character. Even though he is sent to watch Brygida's life, he is barely mentioned throughout the book and contributes nothing to the plot. Based on the last chapter, it is possible that a second book occurs that follows Charlie’s observations, and his character and story will come more into play then.
Chameleons by Martin Wyatt is a fast-paced, disturbing, yet enjoyable book with a plot that is hard to tear your eyes away from. Even though I did not fully understand Charlie’s role, this did not take away from my enjoyment of the story, so I gladly give this book a 4 out of 4.
I would recommend this book to readers who like historical fiction, especially those dealing with the Holocaust and WWII. There are vivid, graphic descriptions of torture, genocide, rape, and death, so sensitive readers may need to avoid this one. For the same reason, I wouldn't recommend it to younger readers either.
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Chameleons
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
With hopes of reuniting with his wife in the afterlife, Charlie is sent back in time to observe Brygida, a brave Jewish woman living in Poland right before World War II. Her grandfather knew that German occupation was imminent and tried to use nature and religion to teach her and his other grandchildren survival techniques. With all his predictions coming true, Brygida, her twin sister, and their family are thrown into the Warsaw Ghetto. With the treatment of Jewish people becoming worse and worse, Brygida uses the lessons her grandfather taught her to come up with a plan. Brygida determines that maybe she can make a difference from behind enemy lines and decides she and her sister need to infiltrate the Commandant of Auschwitz’s compound. As they succeed in their plan, the twins realize things are much worse than they could have imagined. They have no idea of the horrors they are about to face or the amount of resolve they will need to survive the hatred and evil of the Nazis.
I greatly enjoyed the constant contrast of the beauty of nature with the evil of the Nazis. By beginning a paragraph with the beauty and tranquility of nature, readers are then shocked with the conflicting descriptions of the Nazi treatment of Jewish people. Even after learning about some of the horrors of the Holocaust before this book, the vivid, incredibly detailed descriptions forced me to imagine what it would be like to be a prisoner in one of the camps. At times, I had to put the book down to digest and process the horrors the twins saw and went through, but this only added to the realism of the book, as most of these acts truly happened.
I loved the bond between Brygida and Mysz. Through all they went through, the twins were a constant for each other, and their bond gave them something to hang on to. As a twin myself, I felt a strong connection to the girls’ bond and need for each other since I feel strongly connected to my own sister.
The only thing I did not like about this book is that I felt there was not much need for Charlie’s character. Even though he is sent to watch Brygida's life, he is barely mentioned throughout the book and contributes nothing to the plot. Based on the last chapter, it is possible that a second book occurs that follows Charlie’s observations, and his character and story will come more into play then.
Chameleons by Martin Wyatt is a fast-paced, disturbing, yet enjoyable book with a plot that is hard to tear your eyes away from. Even though I did not fully understand Charlie’s role, this did not take away from my enjoyment of the story, so I gladly give this book a 4 out of 4.
I would recommend this book to readers who like historical fiction, especially those dealing with the Holocaust and WWII. There are vivid, graphic descriptions of torture, genocide, rape, and death, so sensitive readers may need to avoid this one. For the same reason, I wouldn't recommend it to younger readers either.
******
Chameleons
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Moonlit Nights by Jacob Parr
