Krishna
Wow… What a book! Unlike most other books reviewed so far, this is a true story, originally written not for publication but as a record of everyday life by a young girl who was trapped in a horrible situation. Even the seriousness of the situation dawns on her only slowly, as you can see, and perhaps the girl did not realize the full import of her predicament until even the end of the diary. This makes you ponder, and increases the significance of the written words manifold. A truly moving story.
Now for the book itself.
The juxtaposition of the trivial with the profound makes for fascinating reading under any setting and in this case it has
elevated the book several levels above a normal diary. The events surrounding Anne’s young life and the circumstances in which the diary was written in themselves would have ensured that this diary captured the imagination of the readers but the simple portrayal of the hardships encountered and the description of everyday conflicts and disagreements in the midst of crippling restrictions on the freedom of movement touched upon in an almost tangential references (e.g the description on the wearing of the star etc.) elevates this novel to the heights of classic literature. Even so, you would have got a sense of tedium if not for the historic moments through which she lived.
The child in her – since she was a very young lady when she wrote this – peeps out several times even in the midst of the
great adversity and it is interesting to view that in context.
The epilogue which describes what happened AFTER they were caught makes for heartwrenching reading.
One of the best bookd I have read, deserves a 9/10
— Krishna