The Book of Lost Names

 The Book of Lost Names is another fabulous accounting of what happened to children during the Holocaust, those who saved them and their desire for the children's identities not be forgotten.

We follow Eva and her mother as they escape from Paris to the countryside after Paris is invaded by Germany.  Though her parents felt they were safe and protected living in Paris, as the Germans close in Eva's father is taken away from their home.  Eva promises him she will take care of her mother.  

Using her knowledge learned from her father who was a typewriter repairman, she is able to help the resistance in assisting children and others to escape across the French border.  She keeps herself busy working with the resistance movement in this small town as she and her mother wait to also cross the border.   Creating new passports and papers for many children who are traveling without their parents to safety.  She meets and works with Remy who is also experienced in forgery.  They work in the local church together helping others.  In an effort to make sure the children's original identities are not lost they create a code that they use in the the church bible to save the names of the children who they are renaming so that when the war ends they will be able to reconnect them with their families.

So many years later, Eva is living in Florida, not knowing what became of Remy and never assuming the church bible of names still exists when she sees an article in the newspaper.  

The story is told in reverse order, meeting Eva in current day and then traveling back with her in her memory of the war time.  The end is a bit unreal, but satisfying none the less.