The Sugar Men by Ray Kingfisher

Susannah is 80 years old and dying.  She should have died 65 years earlier in a concentration camp but didn't.  This is her stories of now, then and just a bit earlier.

Yes, this is a harrowing story of a part of history no one really wants to read about, but this is weaved in with Susannah returning to put her demons to rest.  The different parts of the story are written in different tenses and once I got the hang of it, it was easy to follow.

Ray Kingfisher has written very different stories, and I've loved every one of them.  This was a bit similar in tone to Matchbox Memories in that it was about families and coping with them.  Even though this is obviously about a time of utter horror, I didn't find it too bad, the story was a small scale one of a family trying to cope with a new life they did not want.  I did cry towards the end so I am glad I didn't save this for a holiday read.

In my opinion, this is a special book, a hard story but told with sympathy to the subject.  Don't be afraid of it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FIOIJHO/?tag=jookuf-21