When It's Over

August 1, 2017
In extraordinary times, a single decision can mean the difference between life and death. At the outbreak of WWII, Lena Kulkova, a young Jewish woman, is waiting for her sister to join her in Paris from their home in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. But she waits so long that she finds it nearly impossible to get a visa to leave. Only a special intervention from Otto, an outspoken socialist, allows her to join him in England. But the young couple's difficulties are far from over, as this meticulously drawn novel unfolds over the course of the war. Ridley, who based the book on details from her mother's life and her father's letters, highlights the growing distance between Otto and Lena as he becomes more withdrawn and contentious and she finds herself unavoidably attracted to a dashing young soldier. Meanwhile, there is only disquieting silence from those left behind in Prague. Laden with detail, When It's Over brings the forces of history to a very human level.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)