WHAT I LEFT FOR YOU by LIZ TOLSMA

Publication date 1/12/24

WHAT I LEFT FOR YOU by LIZ TOLSMA is a really interesting WW11 novel in which we see things, not only from the Polish angle, but we are introduced to the Lemko and their beautiful country of Lemkovyna in southern Poland. We see man’s inhumanity towards his fellow man, as, not only did the the Nazis treat them all as less than human, but after the war the Polish government treated the Lemko very badly, breaking up families and carting them off to Ukraine, destroying their houses and farms. 

The characters are unforgettable. We see the strength and courage of Helena and Jerzy, both former lecturers at the Jagiellonium University, as they save Teena, a little Jewish baby from the Jewish ghetto,  and take her to Dubne to bring up as their own child, and also as they join the Lemko partisans to get some of their people out of jail. We see Helena’s desperation as she is taken further and further away from her beloved mother and daughter……

It is heartbreaking to see the horrors of the German labour camps which are described in some detail.

In 2023, after a tragedy for which she feels largely to blame,  and a broken engagement, McKenna and her best friend Taylor take a sabbatical in order to go to Poland and find the sister McKenna’s grandmother has never known. As they work with Filip and his agency in Krakow, the story unfolds. We are reminded of the fact that God can bring good out of all things…….

I am not going to tell you any more for fear of spoiling yor read.

There is a strong Christian message running through the story, from the Greek Orthodox church of the Lemko and the Catholic church, to simple Bible believing faith. 

I highly recommend this inspirational and heartwarming novel.

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own.