INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER ● From the bestselling author of The Two Marias ● Inspired by the life of a real World War II survivor, this remarkable novel reveals the power of unsung women to change history by saving but one soul
In an unknown land, at an unknown time, a young boy finds himself in the midst of a war. Just when it seems that all hope is gone, he is saved by a simple maid with a big heart. Surviving the war, the boy embarks on a path to pay her back for her love and grace. His quest will lead him to riches far beyond and far more satisfying than he ever imagined.
BASED ON A TRUE STORY, with an appendix including authentic documents.
Praise for The Survivor:
"This true story about one man's struggle to leave his past behind while choosing hope and love is a moving masterpiece."
"The Survivor is an extraordinary contribution to the literature of loss and tragedy - with the healing power of love present in every page."
"John Kiss has taken a true story of survival and triumph and imaginatively metamorphosed it into art."
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BOOK EXCERPT (c) All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission:
CHAPTER ONE
The bright light hurt his eyes.
This was a different light than the one he had always known. Back home, the light was softer, cooler. As the train approached Paris, he looked through the window and noticed how bright the sky was.
He was no longer a boy. He was now a young man. His heart beat faster as the train entered the streets of Paris. He was far away from home. But then, "home" was gone. Everything that used to be home was gone. The war had taken it all. In the past few weeks, he finally understood that his mother, father, and sister were never coming back. That his beloved grandmother was gone, and so was his grandfather, as well as each and every member of his extended family, dozens of them. Apart from one uncle, he had no family left.
The train slowed down as it entered the station. He saw many people on the platform, excitedly waiting for their loved ones.
No one was waiting for him.
He picked up his valise. He was hoping to start anew here. He was hoping to forget all that his eyes had seen. To forget the darkness.
He was hopeful. A new day was dawning.
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Two years earlier he had run through the forest at night. Finally, in the early morning, behind the snow covered trees, he saw the house.
He remembered this house well. In his childhood, before the war, he had spent many happy summer days in this small house and the cabins near it. His grandmother owned this place with all its cabins. She had entrusted the management to a woman who used to be, many years before, the family maid.
He looked at the house through the trees. It was dawn. He decided he'd wait. Soon the maid's husband would set out for work. And their three teenage daughters would most likely go to school. Then he'd go and ask the maid to hide him. Just for the day. Then, at night, he'd run away. If she could only hide him for the day!
He kept waiting in the woods. Then, glancing right and left, he quickly ran toward the house.
He knocked on the door, looking constantly behind him.
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END OF EXCERPT (To read further click on the book cover, where you can read more using the Look Inside Feature!)
John Kiss is the author of multiple internationally bestselling novels, including The Two Marias and Survivor. Originally from Israel, he lives in Los Angeles.
