In They Went Left, Monica Hesse explores the psychological, physical and emotional trauma that follows 18-year-old Zofia Lederman, a Holocaust survivor. Zofia's family died the day they were rounded up to be transported to the camps. Only Zofia and her younger brother, Abek, made it to the trains. After the war, Zofia makes her way back to Poland, where she and Abek had promised to reunite if they survived. Finding that her home has completely changed--except for the still rampant anti-Semitism of her neighbors--she sets out for Germany with only a shred of a rumor to help her find 12-year-old Abek. Zofia is plagued with memories and dreams from the last few tortured years, often unable to discern truth from fiction. She finally arrives at a refugee camp where she hopes to find more clues about Abek's whereabouts. There, she begins to fall in love with a brusque and handsome young man with secrets of his own.
Hesse (Girl in the Blue Coat) weaves an enthralling tale of survival, focusing on bonds forged in times of tragedy and loss. The novel's driving force is the unflinching love Zofia has for her brother; she is compelled by the memory of the family story she sewed into Abek's jacket's label ("Abek to Zofia... A to Z"). Immersive writing and perfect pacing make They Went Left compulsively readable, while each reveal keeps readers guessing until the stunning (and heartrending) conclusion. --Shelley Diaz, supervising librarian, BookOps: New York Public Library & Brooklyn Public Library