Review: Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris

Cilka Klein spent years as a prisoner in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, forced to do terrible things in order to survive. When Russian soldiers arrive to liberate the camp, instead of being set free, Cilka is sentenced as a nazi collaborator, and soon finds herself the inmate of another prison camp— this one a Russian gulag.

Experienced in prison life, Cilka quickly figures out the rules of survival in this new nightmare, and attempts to help others adapt to the hard life. She faces both hardships and opportunities, both within the camp and within herself; after this dreadful ordeal, will she ever be able to allow herself to hope and to love again?

Like its predecessor, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, this book is heart-wrenching but ultimately hopeful. Cilka’s character goes through unspeakable atrocities and unthinkable experiences, but she remains stubborn and strong, and she never loses her desire to help others. Despite the darkness of the setting, the characters of Cilka and the other inmates were elements of light in the surroundings, signaling that there’s hope for human nature even in the worst of places.

Though the setting and storyline are slightly different from the first book, the author maintained the same simple but effective writing style, which fit well with the tone of the book (in my opinion). The characters were well-constructed, and the plot never felt as if it lagged, despite the limited settings and events available to the storyline. 

The ending of the book did feel somewhat rushed, and unlike the first book, the romance felt a little forced; personally, I felt it was unnecessary to the overall storyline. It almost seemed as if it detracted from Cilka’s character, as well, as if she had to have a love interest to be considered “whole” again and have a chance of healing — but maybe that’s just my own perception.

The book, like the first, is also based on a true story, though much more loosely, as the author did not have the benefit of sit-down interviews with the character it was based upon.  

This was also the first book I’ve ever read that was set inside a Russian gulag, and I think it conveys an important sense of what life must have been like for those unjustly imprisoned there, without focusing on the history so much as the individual characters.  

This is not a comfortable or happy book to read, but I think that it communicates some important messages and settings. The unfairness of the situation really strikes the reader, and it is devastating to think that these things really happened to many people in this period in history. 

Like the first book, this one contains several instances of violence and brutality (including sexual violence) as well as bad language. It also contains other disturbing elements including mentions of rape, suicidal thoughts and attempts, and descriptions of injuries and accidents; though these are not too graphically described, they are still present, so sensitive readers should beware. In my opinion, it is a little darker and goes into a little more detail than The Tattooist of Auschwitz did.

Unfortunately, it has to be mentioned that, like its predecessor, Cilka’s Journey has come under fire for some of the elements presented in the book; notably, the main character’s stepson in real life has called the book “appalling and extremely hurtful” for its representation of his stepmother. Again, this detracts from my rating of the book, and I have to admit that I am somewhat disappointed in this author, and will not be reading any more of her books. When one is writing about such sensitive and terrible topics, especially involving real people, one needs to be extremely respectful, and there have been several indications that the author has not been so. 

However, this is only my personal opinion, and shouldn’t stop you from giving this book a read if you feel drawn to it. Overall, if the writing style is one you like and the historical setting is intriguing to you or something you would like to know more about, you might enjoy this novel.