THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ BY HEATHER MORRIS

Book Review

Dominique Lamoer

July in South Africa ushers in a sense of introspection, responsibility to change and the idea of philanthropy, as we commemorate and honour Nelson Mandela International Day, throughout the course of former President Tata Madiba’s birth month. In the spirit, and in keeping true to the aftermath of a historically tragic yet simultaneously inspirational time of goodwill and humanitarianism, Mnet and Showmax have taken it upon themselves to awake one’s memory to another pivotal time in history, WWII with Peacock’s latest viewing success The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

In a 6 part mini-series, Peacock recites the remarkable true story of Lale Sokolov, and Gita Furmanova based on the eponymously entitled New York Times best-seller, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, by Heather Morris. The book is a haunting yet beautiful recapitulation of love in a hopeless place that explores themes of optimism, survival, and faith fuelling resilience in this vivid, easily digestible account of two subjugated Slovakian Jews.

Lale, a meek-mannered, sage, and intuitive young man commissioned by the Auschwitz-Birkenau administration to ink identification numbers on current camp entries, encounters Gita, a young, shy, and mysteriously captivating woman who caught the attention of our protagonist at the conception of their first meet. The two strike up a cautious correspondence, and, before long, engage in an enduring but unpermitted affair when a cataclysmic sequence of events inevitably tear the two asunder. Continuous trials and tribulation, coupled with secrecy, necessity, desperation and fear, lead to an unprecedented yet fortuitous epilogue.

A poignant must-read and unmissable watch coming to your screens on M-Net 101 on 28th August at 21:00.

Good Reads: 4.3 out of 5

IMDB: 8.0 out of 10.

Rotten Tomatoes: 76%