Revisiting the Annex

Annexed By Sharon Dogar

(Synopsis from bn.com)

Everyone knows about Anne Frank and her life hidden in the secret annex – but what about the boy who was also trapped there with her?

In this powerful and gripping novel, Sharon Dogar explores what this might have been like from Peter’s point of view. What was it like to be forced into hiding with Anne Frank, first to hate her and then to find yourself falling in love with her? Especially with your parents and her parents all watching almost everything you do together. To know you’re being written about in Anne’s diary, day after day? What’s it like to start questioning your religion, wondering why simply being Jewish inspires such hatred and persecution? Or to just sit and wait and watch while others die, and wish you were fighting.

As Peter and Anne become closer and closer in their confined quarters, how can they make sense of what they see happening around them?

Anne’s diary ends on August 4, 1944, but Peter’s story takes us on, beyond their betrayal and into the Nazi death camps. He details with accuracy, clarity and compassion the reality of day to day survival in Auschwitz – and ultimately the horrific fates of the Annex’s occupants.

(my review)

When I was 13 my mother told me the story of Anne Frank and I was intrigued. I read the book and by the end of it I knew that a piece of who I was would always reside in the annex with Anne in her diary. Never in my imagination did I ever wonder about the story from Peter's point of view. I knew all along that these other people were there with her but she brought them to life in her diary entries. Even though "Annexed" is a work of fiction, Miss Dogar has once again drawn me into the annex. This time we live Peter's side of the story. I have to say that Miss Dogar has evoked the feeling of a male mirror image of Anne's diary. Peter takes us through his fears, his loss, his growing affections for Anne, and the cramped sheltered day to day life in the annex. I never expected the way this book ended though. I was Peter, feeling his dying thoughts, remember his slowly fading memories, walking his death march and living his horrific life in the death camp.  Through the eyes of a teenager, we are once again reminded of the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust. Though this book, of course, has a very very sad and tragic ending, Miss Dogar has definitely constructed a compelling piece of literature. This will definitely ALWAYS be at the top of my recommends list. 

This title is due for release in October 2010