The novel tells the story of Karolina, a doll who lives in the Land of the Dolls, where a war is being raged by the invading rats. As her world falls apart around her, Karolina is whisked away by 'the kind wind' Dogoda into the human world, where she comes to life in a dollmaker's shop. The Dollmaker himself has brought her to life - though somewhat accidentally - through his magical powers. As the start of the Second World War draws near, and the two kindle a friendship with the Jewish musician Jozef and his daughter Rena, it is apparent that the Dollmaker's magic will be needed to help Jozef and Rena as the Nazis' grip around their lives tightens.
I will not give too much more of the story away, but I will say that the novel does not end in a 'happily ever after' moment. Given the context of the narrative, this is fitting; a young adult novel alluding to the horrors of the Holocaust would be inherently discordant if we expected all the characters to survive to the end of the book. The reader is also not persuaded to feel any sympathy towards the perpetrators (yes, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, I'm looking at you...).
Yet, reading this book, I did feel conflicted. R. M. Romero is clearly a very good novelist; the prose is wonderfully written, and she has really grasped the fairy tale/folklore style. The border illustrations that frame every page, drawn by Lisa Perrin, are stunning, and certainly visually appealing to all readers, not just a younger audience. But there were a few elements that created a few questions in my mind.
Firstly, it is difficult to understand what 'young adult' means in the context of the book. Although it is mostly written in a fairy tale style that children would appreciate, there were some rather long words and phrases used - 'contradictory' and 'profession' are two that spring to mind (although this might just be me underestimating children's comprehension of such words, or the ability to look them up if they are unsure). The use of Polish and German, in both names and short sentences, also breathes more life into the narrative and its characters, but perhaps their pronunciation could have been woven into the story itself. How many people unfamiliar with the Polish language, for example, would know how to pronounce the Dollmaker's name, Cyryl Brzezick? (NB: Phonetically, this would be 'Tsi-ril Brshe-zitsk', or thereabouts).
Secondly, I couldn't help but wonder if the fairy tale or folk genre is an effective way to tackle a subject as complex and macabre as the Holocaust. We certainly aren't short of Holocaust fiction, particularly aimed at adolescents (the aforementioned The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, The Book Thief, Prisoner B-3087 and The Red Ribbon, to name a few) and discussions on suitability or appropriateness are entirely subjective, based on the individual's opinion. I don't have an answer to this, but the concept of the Dollmaker, who rescues Jewish lives, possessing good magic and the local SS chief, the (fictional) Erich Brandt, using black or evil magic seems a little...simplistic. This book is only an introductory point for education about the Holocaust, but we have to be careful when labelling those involved as 'good' or 'bad'. Many non-Jews saved their Jewish neighbours selflessly, but some demanded money, valuables or sexual favours; likewise, some figures in the Nazi Party (such as Albert Battel or Wilhelm Hosenfeld) also assisted or saved Jews. Furthermore, whilst the issue of being a bystander is explored by the character of Dombrowski the baker, the open hostility of non-Jewish citizens could have been presented in greater detail. On the other hand, though the fairy tale trope is used extensively, the setting is real and very much based on fact, whilst developments in the persecution of the Jews are explained to Karolina and, therefore, the reader.
Thirdly, the war in the Land of the Dolls is designed as a metaphor or a mirror to the human world. What I found particularly interesting, however, was the descriptions of the rats' persecution of the dolls in comparison to the Nazi treatment of the Jews and Polish population. Before her escape to the human realm, Karolina is kept in solitary confinement as a slave labourer, and sees and hears the other dolls being burned alive and turned to ashes. This fairly horrific imagery is not anywhere near as explicit, however, in the human world. There is mention of a 'red brick building' at Auschwitz-Birkenau, but nothing about the murder or cremation of people. One would assume that a young reader would be able to draw these parallels, but is it the case that such terrible things are easier for a young person to withstand if told from the perspective of a doll, in a land of dolls? I'm not sure. How many of us still cling to fond memories of dolls or toys we had as children, with very human features and (to us) personalities? Is this, then, still a traumatic way of presenting the facts for young people, or is this an effective vehicle through which adolescents might better understand the abstract notion of literally millions of people being gassed to death and their bodies destroyed? Again, this is a totally subjective debate, and one on which I can't quite decide.
Finally, R. M. Romero has clearly done her research in terms of the setting and the chain of events, and a 'Chronology' section has helpfully been provided at the end of the book to clarify this further. There are, however, a few factual inaccuracies in this list, which I feel it is important to highlight:
- Archduke Franz Ferdinand was indeed assassinated on 28 June 1914, but this was not when World War I started. Austria-Hungary did not actually declare war on Serbia until 28 July 1914, a month later.
- Auschwitz is stated as having been opened and receiving prisoners from May 1940. The first transport of prisoners did not arrive, however, until 14 June 1940.
- One of the final sentences explains that 'the number of Jewish people killed in all the Nazi death camps totalled six million'. Whilst the (approximate) figure of six million Jewish victims is correct, they did not all die in death camps. In addition to the killing centres, hundreds of thousands died in mass shootings (the so-called 'Holocaust by bullets'), in ghettos, in slave labour, transit or concentration camps, or otherwise died from beatings, starvation or disease.
However trivial these corrections may seem, it is always important to have the facts right, particularly if these are being taught to young people with little or no previous knowledge of the Holocaust. Perhaps these will be amended in a later edition!
So, in summary: Would I recommend this book? Yes. The author is certainly skilled in her craft, and the novel is definitely worth a read. Is the Holocaust a topic that can be explored through fairy tales or folklore? That, I'm not so sure about, but I am certain there are many others who would disagree with me. If this book is accompanied by other resources and further education, I think it would make a great addition to a young adult's reading list.
