I will admit to having trouble starting this review. Why? THE ORPHAN’S TALE is a devastating novel, yet, through all the heartbreak, something wonderful emerges. For a story full of sadness and disappointment, there is so much love. Yes, it’s a tear-inducing book, but I don’t want that to be a turnoff because it’s worth the tears. All I can say is trust me.

After an affair with a Nazi soldier and a break with her family, pregnant and alone, Noa finds herself at a hospital for young women in her same situation. Once her baby is born, she is again on her own with nowhere to go, and a massive hole in her heart for the child who was taken from her. Noa spends her days cleaning a small train station for room and board, but she is devastated. When a railcar full of Jewish babies stops at the station, her immense sadness comes crashing down on her. Before she can fully absorb the consequences of her actions, she takes one of the infants. She quickly hides the child but knows she can’t remain at the station. Unsure of what to do, Noa takes off into the woods with the baby.

"Pam Jenoff’s story is full of wonderful moments that keep you reading and hopeful that, no matter what happens, life can still surprise and endure."

Astrid is a woman running from herself and, at the same time, struggling to be exactly who she is. After her husband, a high-ranking Nazi officer, divorces her because she is Jewish, she goes into hiding, using her former life as cover. Astrid grew up in a well-known and well-respected circus family. She hasn’t heard anything from her loved ones in a long time and fears the worst. She reaches out to her family’s main competitor for answers, and while he can’t provide any news about them, he offers to take her in as part of his show and keep her safe. Her skills as an aerialist are once more put to use.

Noa is found in the woods with the infant and brought in by another performer. Astrid is against her staying --- knowing that her position has already put the circus in danger, a Jewish child will only add more scrutiny --- but the choice isn’t hers. The same man who told Astrid he would protect her offers protection to Noa and the baby. The one catch: Noa must learn to perform with Astrid as an aerialist to make the story believable. While Noa and Astrid each struggle personally to make the partnership work, they slowly build a relationship and trust that unite them beyond all boundaries, which neither of them expected to happen.

Her husband’s betrayal and abandonment nearly broke Astrid, and she wears the heartbreak as a badge, a protection against getting hurt again. She won’t allow herself to feel anything for a friend or lover, believing that the hurt would destroy her. Noa has also endured heartbreak but refuses to stop caring. It’s these choices, and her willingness to let herself feel love, that trouble Astrid most. It’s also Noa’s actions that make Astrid question herself and what she needs. As the war inches closer and the safety of their world erodes, everything slowly begins to fall apart for Astrid and Noa, and the small family they have become.

THE ORPHAN’S TALE is a very emotional story, and with the war raging and ever present in the background, every choice for these characters is gut-wrenching. As I said earlier, though, I don’t want to turn readers off by talking all about the heartbreak. Pam Jenoff’s story is full of wonderful moments that keep you reading and hopeful that, no matter what happens, life can still surprise and endure.