The Americans had fought,and they had suffered hardships and lost friends. But they could never know what it meant to face the enemy on their home soil, to witness the destruction of their homes and the deaths of their family members — and then to lose that fight. Adam was an American, and he would always be an American. But he was also a Pole, and he knew a part of his heart would forever belong to the country of his birth and the courageous people who faced tragedy again and again without surrendering.
(from The Katyn Order, page 167 in the ARC)
I really enjoyed Douglas W. Jacobson’s first novel, Night of Flames, so I had high expectations for his latest release, The Katyn Order. Well, he exceeded those expectations, and I suspect the book will be on my “best of 2011” list. I pretty much read this book with my computer nearby so I could do my own research on the real events he writes about. I’m always amazed that almost every time I pick up a book about World War II, I learn something new, and I learned many, many new things when reading The Katyn Order.
There are so many layers to this novel that my summary probably won’t do it justice. The novel opens in Warsaw in August 1944 during the Warsaw Rising, when resistance fighters belonging to the Armia Krajowa (AK), Poland’s Home Army, rose up against their Nazi occupiers and managed to take control of parts of the city. At this point in the book, Germany is losing the war, with the Soviets moving closer to the city. The Red Army is stationed across the Vistula River, and the AK continues to hope for assistance in defeating a common enemy. But the situation is bleak, with food, water, medical supplies, and ammunition running low. Moreover, many of the AK fighters had lost their homes and families to the Soviets, so they understand that Stalin is just as bad as Hitler, if not worse.
Adam Nowak is a Polish-born American citizen trained by the British as an assassin. He fights with the AK as “Wolf” and is known as a sharpshooter who has taken out several high-ranking SS officers. Just before the AK escapes Warsaw, he meets Natalia, a resistance fighter whose life he saves during a particular bloody battle. At a time when people are thinking more about day-to-day survival than making friends, Natalia asks probing questions about his past, which he was forced to put aside to succeed as an assassin and covert operative. Despite being annoyed with Natalia, Adam realizes she’s the only person who has succeeded in getting him to drop his guard and think about something other than the war. Natalia has had a rough time herself, having lost her family, her home in the village of Lwow, and her brother, a Polish Army officer whom she believes was murdered by the Soviet secret police, the NKVD.
The Katyn Order also takes readers to post-war Berlin, underscoring the tensions between the American troops and the Red Army as the boundaries of their occupation change on a daily basis, and to Krakow, where Adam and Natalia scramble find an order signed by Stalin authorizing the slaughter of about 20,000 Polish Army officers and members of the intelligentsia by the NKVD in the Katyn forest and other locations in 1940 — an act that the Soviets blamed on the Nazis when the mass graves were discovered. They hope that by getting their hands on the document before the Potsdam Conference, Poland might not remain in the hands of the Soviets for good.
Jacobson obviously did his homework, infusing The Katyn Order with fascinating historical details and describing in detail well-known landmarks in Warsaw, Krakow, and Berlin and how they fared after the war. He does a wonderful job showing how personal losses and participation in combat affect the characters and how the desire for revenge drives them to commit acts they never would have dreamed of during peacetime. The horrors of combat — particularly the atrocities committed by the SS and NKVD against both Polish civilians and the AK fighters — are emphasized in much detail (though not too graphic), which creates much tension and excitement during the battle scenes. By focusing on a small group of people, whether a mother and child hiding in a cellar, helpless patients in a makeshift hospital, or brave AK fighters not much older than my 10-year-old daughter, Jacobson personalizes the experience of hundreds of thousands of people during the war and drives home the point that the SS and the NKVD were ruthless killers and that war is heartbreaking and senseless.
The Katyn Order was a real page-turner that had me on the edge of my seat throughout the combat scenes, the covert operations, and the mystery behind a relative of Adam’s who plays a major role in the events that transpire. My only complaint is that the ARC didn’t include the journal entries of an important character, and I’m curious as to how important they were to the outcome of the story. The journal entries will be featured at the end of the finished novel, though. Still, I was captivated by this novel and glad to have furthered my knowledge of WWII (particularly the Soviet involvement) by reading it, and I highly recommended it to readers who love books full of history, action, and intrigue.
Thanks to Pump Up Your Book for allowing me to be part of the blog tour for The Katyn Order.
Disclosure: I received a copy of The Katyn Order from McBooks Press for review purposes. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Sounds like this is a WWII novel that will knock my socks off. I’ll have to borrow your ARC or get to the store when I have money next. I loved Night of Flames as well.
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I hope it knocks your socks off. I loved it.
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Great review. I can’t say I know much about Poland during the war. Just what happened to the Jews there
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That’s what I found so fascinating about this book, the experiences of the Polish civilians. I hadn’t heard of the Warsaw Rising until reading this book!
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Anna, terrific, in-depth review of this book! This must be an exceptional WWII book to have exceeded your expectations.
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Thanks, Suko! I hope you’ll give this one a try.
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This sounds pretty awesome and most especially that you felt compelled to research while you were reading. I love it when an author takes true events and brings the stories alive from that time period. I will be looking out for this one.
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I hope you have a chance to read it. It really broadened my knowledge of WWII.
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Wow — I sort of ignored this book b/c the title made me think it was another ambigu-Cold War thriller but now I’m super curious! I’ve added to my TBR!!
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I’m glad I helped change your mind about it!
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As you probably know, this is a book I’m going to have to read. I’ve seen many of these places and monuments erected to honor the uprisings and struggles of the common man. Did you see the movie Katyn? Freaking amazing movie, and one that just rips out your heart. I don’t know how or when I’m going to read this book, but I’m going to make time.
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No, I haven’t yet seen the movie, but it sounds powerful. I do hope you love this book as much as I did.
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I loved Douglas Jacobson’s first book and so have high hopes for this one!
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I do hope you get a chance to read it! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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I just posted my review a few days ago – http://historicaltapestry.blogspot.com/2011/06/katyn-files-by-douglas-w-jacobson.html
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Great! I will have to check it out. Thanks for the link.
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How did I miss this review?! Now I really can’t wait for the book to arrive!
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Yay! Looking forward to your thoughts.
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