I’ve read a few WW2 novels recently including The Girl in the Striped Dress, The Night Train To Berlin and The Berlin Zookeeper, and I’m always looking to read more.
The Yellow Bird Sings is the debut historical fiction novel by Jennifer Rosner, published in 2021.
The book is set in Poland during the early 1940s and after reading the synopsis I knew it would be a sad but important read.
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Plot
The story starts in Poland in 1941 where Roza and her five-year-old daughter Shira are seeking shelter inside a local farmer’s barn. After all the Jews were rounded up in their hometown, Roza and her daughter Shira had no choice but to flee.
Hiding within the barn means they need to be quiet and still, and Roza and Shira spend most of their days and nights in silence. Shira is a musical prodigy with melodies flowing throughout her body which makes being silent particularly difficult for her.
When their safe place can no longer be used, Roza is faced with a heartbreaking decision. Should she keep her daughter with her and take their chances on disappearing into the woods, with the huge risk they could be detected and killed? Or should she allow her daughter to go alone to the local convent where Shira’s chances of survival would surely be higher?
The Yellow Bird Sings Book Review
The Yellow Bird Sings is so beautifully written. The descriptions of the music are so powerful and Shira’s imaginary yellow bird perfectly symbolises the music flowing through her, even when she needed to be silent. I know very little about classical music but the descriptions were so vivid I could so clearly visualise little Shira playing her violin, completely lost in the melody. Her yellow bird and the music are a constant source of comfort for Shira and I loved how the two themes ran all the way through to the end.
The chapters were relatively short but each one was powerful. I can’t imagine having to face the gut-wrenching decision of whether or not to leave your child behind, in the hope they would be safer without you. I have a six-year-old daughter myself and my heart ached for Roza and the situation she found herself in. The connection between Shira and Roza was so moving, the longing to be together and Roza’s instinct to protect the person she loves most in the world.
It’s a story of loss and sadness but ultimately one of love and humanity. The mother’s love that kept Roza going through the darkest of times and provided strength and determination when all seemed lost. The compassion shown by strangers in a time where decency and kindness towards jews could cost you your life.
The Yellow Bird Sings is a powerful story that left me with the need to hug each one of my children that little bit tighter.
What to read next
If you enjoyed The Yellow Bird Sings and would like to read more WW2 fiction, I would recommend The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. For more information please see my disclosure policy.