"The Bone Church", by Victoria Dougherty

“The Bone Church” is one of those fascinating combination of historical exploration of real places and a deliciously dark tale of two fictional young people whose lives are impacted by death and by the Nazi’s. The harrowing content weaves beautifully two narratives set during WW11 and during the Cold War.

It is not an easy read and is a little challenging but I did not mind concentrating on the heavy material. It didn’t take long to be swept by a foray of themes that never lets up and be captivated by this world where there is mistrust, paranoia and deceit. I was immediately taken by the main characters. Featuring, Magdelena, of Jewish heritage, and Felix her Christian husband both caught up in very scary situations during the occupation of Czechoslovakia in WW11 and during the 1956 Soviet post-war occupation. Along the way they make dubious alliances…a mysterious Roman Catholic cardinal, a reckless sculptor and a gypsy among other big players is Josef Goebbels…they path is often twisted and muddied as we can expect in this sort of scenario. It is essential to keep focus on the content and between time frames to enjoy, to imagine, to wonder and finally to ponder. Once into it this novel it is practically impossible to put down.

Having said this, although I was highly captivated by “The Bones Church” this novel is definitely not for everyone.