WHAT THE NIGHT SINGS

Narrator Deborah Grausman's youthful voice makes the story of 14-year-old Gerta Rausch all the more horrifying. Sheltered Gerta learns of her Jewish identity when Nazis capture her and her father in 1944. Grausman's emotional reading expresses Gerta's initial confusion, her tender feelings for her papa, and the comfort that music brings her. Musical interludes and Grausman's periodic bursts into song emphasize Gerta's passion for music and her sorrow over losing her singing voice. Gerta's resilience is layered with resentment, grief, and a self-protectiveness that helps her survive three concentration camps but also discourages a loving relationship. The author's depiction of the displaced-persons' camp will be almost as difficult for listeners as hearing what Gerta faces in the concentration camps. S.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2018]