Alice Hoffman’s ability to blend subtle supernatural elements with hauntingly realistic characters and events is a true talent. The World That We Knew is a fantastic example.

Set in WWII, the story follows a small group of Jewish teens trying to survive in German-occupied France. The twist is that one girl is protected by a golem - a supernatural creature created in desperation by her mother. While the teens face darkness and uncertainty, the golem Ava slowly discovers her own humanity.

I guess it goes without saying that this book packs quite the emotional punch - no character is truly safe. Hoffman then adds an extra layer that really makes this tragic era come back to life, slipping horrifying statistics into the narrative itself. It pulls you out of the story for a moment and is extremely unsettling to read; I’d say it definitely raises this book to a whole other level. I know I’m not doing this book justice, so I encourage you all to read it for yourselves.