by Pam Jenoff
First published 2017
Sixteen-year-old Noa cleans a small railway station to survive after being cast out for bearing a Nazi soldier's child. When she finds a boxcar filled with Jewish babies destined for a concentration camp, memories of her own lost infant compel her to grab one baby and escape into the winter night. She takes refuge with a traveling German circus, where she must master trapeze work to avoid detection. The circus's star aerialist Astrid initially resents this newcomer who threatens her position. The two women clash as Noa struggles to learn the dangerous aerial routines while hiding her true identity. Their rivalry gradually transforms into deep friendship as they recognize their shared vulnerability in wartime. Both women harbor secrets that could destroy them. As Nazi scrutiny intensifies and their protective cover weakens, Noa and Astrid face an impossible choice between loyalty to each other and their own survival.
Genres: drama, romance, historical-fiction, world-war-ii
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, secrets
Setting: Germany, Concentration Camp
Period: World War II
353 pages · Paperback · MIRA
Content warnings: violence