Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Lale Sokolov is a Slovakian Jew; one fateful day in 1942, he finds himself packed in with other passengers in a train car, on the way to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. 

With no idea of his destination, Lale is horrified by the cruel surroundings he finds himself in; but from the very start of his time at the camp, his objective is to survive. He is clever, resourceful, and fluent in several languages, and he soon puts his skills to good use to help himself and his fellow inmates as best he can, hoping to make it to a day when this nightmare is no longer their reality. 

Lale soon finds himself elected for the privileged job of the camp tattooist, marking his fellow inmates as they are transported to the camp. One of them is a woman, Gita, by whom Lale is immediately captivated. The surroundings of the concentration camp are hardly the ideal setting for a romance, but Lale and Gita manage to find time to spend with one another and fall for each other despite the odds. In the face of the tragedy and horror that surrounds them, Lale is determined to make it out and build a life with Gita far away from the cruelty of the camp. 

Based on a true story, and years of interviews the author conducted with Lale, this book was suspenseful, heart-wrenching, and captivating. The book gives a striking (and sometimes startling) insight into human nature. It’s not a comfortable read, but it is a touching one. Despite the horror, one finds threads of hope in the story; the message is ultimately uplifting, without glossing over or dampening the awful side of what happened. The almost miraculous story of Gita and Lale was heartwarming to witness.

I enjoyed the author’s style in this book; it is simply written, frank and open, but captivating, and gets you absorbed in the story without being dramatic or excessive. One gets a sense of the bond the author must have had with Lale as they shared the story. Overall, I think the book was well constructed, and dealt with a sensitive topic with grace. 

However, some readers have voiced complaints that the book is too plainly written, or that it failed to evoke emotion or make them feel anything for the characters. Personally, I did not feel these problems while reading, although it is true that the book could have gone deeper on both the descriptive and emotional side of things. If this is not your favourite style of writing, then I would recommend avoiding this book. After all, there are many other touching pieces of holocaust literature out there to choose from, and it is important to do such a crucial topic justice.

Another important and disappointing note is that since I have finished reading this book, I have come across claims that it is not historically accurate in many details, which does unfortunately detract from my rating and opinion of the book. As aforementioned, I think it is important to do this topic justice and to tread carefully around it, both because of its importance and impact on history and out of respect for those who suffered so much from this ordeal.

As far as content warnings go, because the book is set in a concentration camp, there are obviously several disturbing elements depicted; these include cruelty, violence (including sexual violence), and death in various forms. There are also several instances of bad language and some mild sex scenes. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book; however, considering the simplistic writing style and the allegations that have been brought against it, I have read better accounts of the holocaust in the past. But if the sound of the love story intrigues you, I would say that it is still worth a read.

P.S., for a review of the author’s subsequent novel, Cilka’s Journey, see here.