Introduction

A haunting novel—and NYT best-selling phenomenon—that bookclubs nationwide can’t stop talking about… and can’t forget…

Paris, July 1942: Before ten year-old Sarah is arrested in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, she locks her younger brother in a cupboard, thinking she will be back quickly.

Paris, May 2002: Journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article for the Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary and stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

A magnificent and haunting novel, Sarah’s Key—once read—is impossible to forget. Tatiana de Rosnay offers up a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of WWII France and reveals the taboos and silence that surround the painful events of the V’el D’hiv—a historical tragedy of which few people today are aware. This portrait is interwoven with the modern-day story of Julia Jarmond—an American journalist in Paris—whose struggles with her marriage and relationships with her teenage daughter and exacting French in-laws resonate with readers everywhere.

Excerpt

Paris, July 1942

The girl was the first to hear the loud pounding on the door. Her room was closest to the entrance of the apartment. At first, dazed with sleep, she thought it was her father, coming up from his hiding place in the cellar. He’d forgotten his keys, and was impatient because nobody had heard his first, timid knock. But then came the voices, strong and brutal in the silence of the night. Nothing to do with her father. “Police! Open up ! Now !” The pounding took up again, louder. It echoed to the marrow of her bones. Her younger brother, asleep in the next bed, stirred. “Police ! Open up ! Open up !” What time was it ? She peered through the curtains. It was still dark outside. ...view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. What did you know about France’s role in World War II—and the Vél d’Hiv round-up in particular—before reading Sarah’s Key? How did this book teach you about, or change your impression of, this important chapter in French history?

2. Sarah’s Key is composed of two interweaving story lines: Sarah’s, in the past, and Julia’s quest in the present day. Discuss the structure and prose-style of each narrative. Did you enjoy the alternating stories and time-frames? What are the strengths or drawbacks of this format?

3. Per above: Which “voice” did you prefer: Sarah’s or Julia’s? Why? Is one more or less authentic than the other? If you could meet either of the two characters, which one would you choose?

4. How does the apartment on la rue de Saintonge unite the past and present action—and all the characters—in Sarah’s Key? In what ways is the apartment a character all its own in?

5. What are the major themes of Sarah’s Key?

6. de Rosnay’s novel is built around several “key” secrets which Julia will unearth. Discuss the element of mystery in these pages. What types of narrative devices did the author use to keep the keep the reader guessing?

7. Were you surprised by what you learned about Sarah’s history? Take a moment to discuss your individual expectations in reading Sarah’s Key. You may wish to ask the group for a show of hands. Who was satisfied by the end of the book? Who still wants to know—or read—more?

8. How do you imagine what happens after the end of the novel? What do you think Julia’s life will be like now that she knows the truth about Sarah? What truths do you think she’ll learn about her self?

9. Among modern Jews, there is a familiar mantra about the Holocaust; they are taught, from a very young age, that they must “remember and never forget” (as the inscription on the Rafle du Vél d’Hiv) Discuss the events of Sarah’s Key in this context. Who are the characters doing the remembering? Who are the ones who choose to forget?

10. What does it take for a novelist to bring a “real” historical event to life? To what extent do you think de Rosnay took artistic liberties with this work?

11. Why do modern readers enjoy novels about the past? How and when can a powerful piece of fiction be a history lesson in itself ?

12. We are taught, as young readers, that every story has a “moral”. Is there a moral to Sarah’s Key? What can we learn about our world—and our selves—from Sarah’s story?

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Weblinks

»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Author Tatiana de Rosnay's web site
»	Tatiana de Rosnay's Twitter Page
»	Tatiana de Rosnay's Facebook Page

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

A special note from Tatiana de Rosnay to BookMovement club members:

As a French woman born in France, I discovered the taboo of the Vel d'Hiv round up and the scars it has left. When I started to research how the round-up took place exactly and the precise role played by the French police, I was devastated. I felt I had to write about it in order to share my emotions.

I've always been interested in the history of my city, Paris. I was writing a previous book about how a house can harbor memories, good or bad ones, and that book took me to the rue Nélaton, where the Vel d'Hiv used to stand. I went to see that street, and the sadness of it struck me deeply.

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