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They Went Left
“CRUCIAL.” —The New York Times Book Review
In the rubble of a broken continent, a girl must solve a mystery whose answers could rebuild her family—or break her completely, in this New York Times bestselling, critically acclaimed tour de force historical novel from Monica Hesse, author of Girl in the Blue Coat.
Germany, 1945. The soldiers who liberated the Gross-Rosen concentration camp say the war is over, but nothing feels over to eighteen-year-old Zofia Lederman. Her body has barely begun to heal, her mind feels broken. And her life is completely shattered: Three years ago, she and her younger brother, Abek, were the only members of their family to be sent to the right, away from the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Everyone else—her parents, her grandmother, radiant Aunt Maja—they went left.
Zofia's last words to her brother were a promise: Abek to Zofia, A to Z. When I find you again, we will fill our alphabet. Now her journey to fulfill that vow takes her through Poland and Germany, into a displaced persons camp where everyone she meets is trying to piece together a future from a painful past: Miriam, desperately searching for the twin she was separated from after they survived medical experimentation. Breine, a former heiress, who now longs only for a simple wedding with her new fiancé. And Josef, who guards his past behind a wall of secrets, and is beautiful and strange and magnetic all at once.
But the deeper Zofia digs, the more impossible her search seems. How can she find one boy in a sea of the missing?
“This is not just a story about death and survival—it’s also about choosing to live on, even in the face of genocide, trauma and devastating loss. And what could be more relevant to our world today?” —Sharon Cameron, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Light in Hidden Places, writing in The New York Times
"A heartbreaking, gorgeously written story…The ending left me breathless and awed by its expression of enduring love."―Jewell Parker Rhodes, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Boys
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About the Author
Monica Hesse is the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in the Blue Coat, American Fire, The War Outside, and They Went Left, as well as a Pulitzer Prize finalist columnist at the Washington Post. She lives outside Washington, DC with her family. Monica invites you to visit her online at monicahesse.com.
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FROM NOVL NATION
“Hesse is nothing short of masterful when it comes to writing gripping, heart breaking, raw, powerful, and soul shattering historical fiction novels. This book did all of that and so much more.”
—Sara, @agingerlyreview
“I was sucked in from page one and unable to put it down. This was one of the most well-written stories I’ve ever read… It resonated with me in a way no other story has and, dare I say, ever will.”
—Shelby, a.fangirl.life_
“This book was truly incredible. The mystery of finding Zofia’s brother and the dash of romance running through the story kept me engaged and speeding through the pages.”
—Chaya, @readingoversleeping
“This book was just so well done, Hesse’s writing style is beautiful.”
—Macy, @afictionreality
“They Went Left is a heartbreaking and heartwrenching read that pulls you in from the beginning. A story that is full of drama, hope, and determination.”
—Patti, @lovelyloveday
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