Book Reviews - Like Embers in the Night by Andrew Goliszek

Synopsis: During Stalin's brutal reign of terror, Janek, a Polish soldier, and his wife, Wanda, endure the horrors of Soviet labor camps and Siberian gulags as World War II rages across Europe. While millions perish, they endure the invasion of Poland by Germany and Russia and then miraculously survive mass deportations, imprisonment, torture, and starvation. Broken both physically and emotionally by their near-death experiences and the unspeakable atrocities of war, Janek and Wanda are reunited seven years after he marched off to defend his country. They must begin a new life and try to forget the many scars of their past, but where? And can they ever truly forget all that happened to them while they were apart. Andrew Goliszek's gripping novel is based on the incredible true story of what two people endured when the world was on fire and all hope seemed lost.

“Like Embers in the Night” by Andrew Goliszek is a haunting, evocative tale of World War Two and its aftermath, with a focus on the horrors inflicted on the Polish people. The book opens with a graphic reference to Auschwitz and moves to recalling the Katyn massacre. How people and society can ever heal after such appalling losses is an enduring question, and the two central characters, Wanda and Janek, continue to be prisoners of the past. “Like Embers in the Night” commences in 2004, in Ohio. Wanda has dementia, and, with such memories stored in her mind, returns to lucidity are not particularly welcome and only bring further pain. On occasion Wanda remembers Janek, and reminisces that he is handsome. Such recollections are heartbreaking, and the reader will wonder how one person is to survive such continuing pain. The narrative then moves to 1939, in Lwow, Poland. The significance of the timeframe is obvious, and the unfolding story well-written. Janek, a Polish officer, is captured, and is fearful of the fate of his wife Wanda and daughter Sophie. He is taken to a prison camp, where further graphic scenes play out. The terror is not only physical. Told that “Poland no longer exists” he realises that he and his fellow soldiers will be forced to give up personal information, which will then be used against them. Janek lies about the existence of Wanda and Sophie in an effort to save them. The utter hopelessness of Poland and its displaced and traumatized people is profound.

Both Wanda and Janek are compelling characters with distinct and believable personalities and character arcs. There are secondary characters; family members, a sympathetic nurse, terrifying occupiers. Throughout it all, Wanda’s spirit shines, and every reader will relate to Janek’s focus on protecting his family and his country, although at great personal cost. The characters’ personal relationships are all authentic, particularly Wanda and Janek, who must reconnect after finally being reunited. The pacing of the book is measured, but appropriate for the storyline, and historical background is skilfully woven into the overall narrative. “Like Embers in the Night” also focuses on the post-war period, and the situation of immigrants to the United States of America from war-torn Europe. Such a major voyage and re-settling means further upheaval, although great opportunity awaits.

The ending of “Like Embers in the Night” is deeply emotional, but will satisfy the reader, bringing the story of Wanda and Janek, their family and their homeland around in a full circle. “Like Embers in the Night” is a heartrending story that will stay with the reader for some time after the final page is finished. That is the mark of well-written historical fiction; Wanda and Janek will seem very real to the reader. It is one of the world’s great tragedies that the pages of this gripping fictional novel were the reality of life for so many millions of their generation. An immersive return to one of history’s darkest chapters, where the human spirit survives the unthinkable. An absorbing read!

-Historical Fiction Company Reviews

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A woman's reflection on her and her family's life during World War II in Poland.

During Stalin's brutal reign of terror, Janek, a Polish soldier, and his wife, Wanda, endure the horrors of Soviet labor camps and Siberian gulags as World War II rages across Europe. While millions perish, they endure the invasion of Poland by Germany and Russia and then miraculously survive mass deportations, imprisonment, torture, and starvation. Broken both physically and emotionally by their near-death experiences and the unspeakable atrocities of dictatorships and of war, Janek and Wanda are reunited seven years after he marched off to defend his country. They must begin a new life and try to forget the many scars of their past, but where? And can they ever truly forget all that happened to them while they were apart...

Nearing the end of her life and battling dementia, Wanda is living in a nursing home with the Sisters of Saint Francis. Her memory comes and goes, and she often thinks about her late husband, Janek. Memories of him come with memories of war. Through flashbacks, we see both Janek’s and Wanda’s experiences. Janek is sent off to fight in the west, leaving Wanda and their young daughter, Sophie, behind. The Soviets soon move into their city of Lwow and begin meticulously erasing all traces of Polish culture. This includes the destruction of buildings, the outlawing of religion, and even the banning of the Polish language. The horrors only get worse for Wanda, Sophie, and Janek, who ends up being captured.

Like Embers in the Night is rich with history. I learned a lot about Poland, both what the country and its citizens went through during the war as well as its culture and faith. Of course, the emphasis is on the horrors brought on by the Nazis and Soviets both in brutality and ideology. Straight away, I was absorbed into the story. The eloquence of the writing has a hypnotic element that makes thirty pages go by in what feels like a heartbeat despite it not being dialogue-heavy. This kind of well-crafted writing can be difficult to come by, and I think a lot of this is a testament to the author’s obvious passion for the subject matter.

Along with the eloquent writing is its ability to convey the story’s atmosphere. I have read countless historical fiction books in this and similar settings and only a few have immersed me as deeply as this book did. The material is haunting but also hopeful. I especially enjoyed how much faith was incorporated, offering a bonus history of Poland's deeply rooted Catholicism. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I plan on purchasing a physical copy so I can do a deeper reread. This is the kind of book that deserves a devoted amount of time spent with it for reflection.

-Reedsy Discovery Book Review

Like Embers in the Night is set during World War II. It follows the lives and trails of Polish soldier Janek and his wife Wanda, who manage to survive Soviet labor camps and Siberian gulags as they struggle to stay live and connected even as their familiar world devolves into chaos. If the events featured in this book seem exceptionally vivid (a warning for sensitive readers), it’s because descriptions are powered by the memories of author Andrew Goliszek’s sister Sophie, who survived war, dictators, and prison camps. This gives Like Embers in the Night a hard-hitting feel that brings the 1939 siege of Poland to vivid life from its opening chapters:

Wanda sat trembling as she rocked back and forth, clutching six-year-old Sophie to her chest so tightly her hands grew numb. The electricity in the city had been out for days. Water was scarce. What little food she had left would run out in a week. Through a small broken window, she could see and hear the nonstop barrage of artillery fire off in the distance. Fingers of thick black smoke rose columnlike along the horizon and swirled eastward in the cold wind. For days, the pungent stench of death and decay had descended upon the city of Lwow like a shroud.

Readers need not hold prior familiarity with the history of Poland or the events of 1939 in order to enjoy Goliszek’s story. History comes to life with no prerequisite for anything but a basic interest in wartime events and how ordinary people survive them. Like Embers in the Night will attract a wide audience with its compelling reviews of impossible-to-survive situations and how each character makes compromises and forms strategies to endure. Goliszek’s story juxtaposes Wanda and Janek’s struggles as each face different challenges. These lead them to wonder if their personal survival is even important in the broader scheme of world affairs:

Hour after hour Janek worked, hungry to the point of near delirium, thinking of nothing but the sun setting in the west so he could march back to camp, eat what little they’d give him, and collapse like a dead man on his bunk. And as he watched the sun gradually fall from the sky and looked at the band of ragged men around him, he realized that one of the saddest things in life would be to die in that faraway land and eventually be forgotten. Nothing he’d ever done would matter, he thought, because generations after he was gone the only thing left of him would be distant memories and dusty photographs.

The delicate dances of contrast between characters, survivors, oppressors, and social and political struggle maintain a tension and sense of immediacy. This keeps readers thoroughly engrossed in not just the lives of ordinary people, but the special projects, objectives, and choices of nations under siege. Also notable and engrossing is the aftermath of war, in which Wanda and Janek continue to struggle over reconciling peacetime with the trauma of the war:

“Janek and I spent that first year in England trying to adjust to our new life together. I suffered with nightmares, screamed in my sleep, sometimes woke up crying, thinking I was back in the labor camps. But the worst nightmares were of my escape from Poland, and when Sophie was taken from me. It changed me…and I was never the same…never looked at people in the same way.”

With its hard-hitting “you are here” atmosphere and comparisons of trials and tragedy between different characters and nations, Like Embers in the Night is especially highly recommended for historical novel readers interested in vivid experiences of war and its aftermath. Libraries that choose Like Embers in the Night for their collections will also want to point book clubs and reading groups to the story, whether the subject of interest is World War II, survival tactics, or the wrenching, lasting impact of living alongside “people walking as if already dead.”

-Midwest Book Review

Published by Wild Rose Press, New York; ISBN (print): 978-1-5092-5929-8; ISBN (digital): 978-5092-5930-4; 342 pages