The Polish Girl

In the eye of the warThat tore the world apartA mother wants a sonA daughter needs a mother

Winter 19³9: Danusha and her family are forced to flee their home when the Nazis invade Poland. Danushaâ³64;™s mother, Anna, changes her name and secures a position as a housekeeper in a German doctorâ³64;™s mansion in Kraków where Gestapo meetings are hosted in the kitchenâ³64;¦

Her secret is their salvation, but what Danusha remembers most is the solitude, with only her baby brother and the girl in the mirror for company.

All Anna ever wanted was a firstborn son. All Danusha ever wanted was a mother who would love her like a firstborn son. Instead she got one who could look a Nazi straight in the eye but not into the eyes of her own daughter.

It is only years later, when their neighbours gather in the living room to hear Annaâ³64;™s stories, that Danusha finally realises her mother was never a cold unknowable sea but a storm-wracked sky â³64;“ sometimes bright, sometimes dark, and always watching over her.

The Polish Girl is a heartbreaking and unforgettable historical novel by the author of international bestseller The Brothers of Auschwitz â³64;“â perfect for fans of Antonio Iturbe and Edith Eger.

“Praise for The Brothers of Auschwitz: 'I am sitting here, stunned, after finishing this book. It was so incredibly harrowing, heartfelt and heartbreaking ... I could never hope to give it the justice it truly deserves' Netgalley reviewer 'This book is so moving. It is harrowing and stunning, really well written and heartbreakingly raw. The author writes this book with such compassion' Netgalley reviewer 'I sat down and read this within a few hours, my wife is now reading it and it is bringing tears to her eyes' Amazon reviewer 'The story is so incredible and the author writes so beautifully that it is impossible to stay indifferent. I gave the book to my mom and she called me after she finished crying and telling me how much she loved it' Amazon reviewer 'It is a book we all must read, read in order to know ... It is harsh, enthralling, earth-shattering, rattling - but we must. And nothing less' Aliza Ziegler, Editor-in-Chief at Proza Books, Yedioth Ahronoth Publishing House 'Great courage is needed to write as Adler does - without softening, without beautifying, without leaving any room to imagination' Yehudith Rotem, Haaretz newspaper 'This is a book we are not allowed not to read' Leah Roditi, At Magazine”

‘I read The Polish Girl with bated breath and high emotion. Such a difficult story, written with such talent. Malka’s writing tackles the complex relationships within a family, conveying admiration with reservation, dependence with independence, attraction with withdrawal. Every book about the Holocaust is special in its own way, and this one is particularly unique. This is a rare story about survival in the very heart of the German regime and the mostly hostile Polish population. It is also the story of a Jewish family, sisters, brothers, and mother, who do all they can to help each other survive, even at the cost of their own lives. The Polish Girl combines the best of literary fiction with true accounts, adding another important piece to the mosaic that is the story of the Holocaust, which can never be told entirely.’
Nurit Guvrin – emeritus professor of Hebrew Literature at Tel Aviv University

Malka Adler was born in a small village near the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. She began her work as an author when she turned 50. After taking a creative writing course, she fell in love with the art. Malka has written six books, four of which are about the Holocaust. She obtained her undergraduate and graduate degrees in educational counselling at Bar Ilan University and is a family and couples' therapist, writer and facilitator of several reading clubs.

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