How Huge the Night – review

When I post book reviews on Amazon I am asked to assign a star rating to each title, from 1 to 5 stars. I don’t give very many books 5 stars simply because I like to reserve the 5-star rating for those which are real stand-outs. How Huge the Night by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn is such a stand-out. It is one of the best novels about the Europe during World War II that I have ever read– right up there with The Hiding Place and The Diary of Anne Frank.

The setting is southern France after it had been invaded by Germany. The main character is a 15-year-old boy named Julien who is trying to adjust to all the changes brought about by the war and make sense of it all. I especially appreciated the wisdom of Julien’s grandfather as he helps him learn how to talk to and listen to God. There is a parallel story woven throughout the book about Jewish siblings, Nina and Gustav, who are on the run from the Nazis in Austria. It is very well-researched, based on actual events which the authors explain in a note at the end of the book.

You can read the first four chapters in PDF format, but I will warn you, if you do, you will likely be hooked and want to read the whole book. It is one of those stories that is hard to put down. I guess I don’t need to say, “I highly recommend this book!” I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.