Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson

As horrific as the Holocaust was, this subject is one of my favorite things to read about. I love to read about all the incredibly brave people who jeopardized their own safety or lives as well as their family's safety or lives. They did "the right thing" despite how dangerous it was. I hope to never be put in that situation because I don't know if I would be brave enough - or strong enough - to do the right thing in the face of death.

I really loved Ben Solomon. I thought he was right about Elliot Rosenzweig being Otto, but I had some minor doubts initially. As Ben told his story, it just seemed so impossible that the Otto he had grown up with would betray Ben and his family. As the story progressed, you could see the change in Otto, little by little. I was relieved that Ben got to spend his life with Hannah, especially since he lost everyone else to the horror of Nazi Germany. Ben stayed true to his character throughout his life - fighting for what was right, no matter how difficult it was.

Catherine annoyed me greatly at first! She kept acting like hearing Ben's story was such an inconvenience and a waste of her precious time. I loved how her character developed during the book. A person only has one life to live, so to spend it doing something meaningful is so important to being happy. She was miserable trying to prove herself to her firm, racking up enough billable hours to appease her bosses. How awesome that she sacrificed it all to bring about justice for Ben. I am glad that she allowed herself to start caring for Liam as more than a friend. I thought Liam was really good for her.

I was a little slow realizing who Elliot was married to, even after we find out she rarely appeared at public events. I didn't even catch on knowing her name was "Elisabeth"! It didn't surprise me that she came forward in the end to testify against her husband. She always helped Ben when he needed help - despite suffering the repercussions from her abusive Nazi boyfriend back in Poland. Yes, she kept Otto's secret - and her own - for many, many years, but in the end she did the right thing.

This book was a page-turner for me. I can't wait to read his other novels!

Wendy's Rating: *****