Review: Last Train to Freedom by Deborah Swift
Today, I'm delighted to welcome back English author, Deborah Swift. I'm sharing my review of her riveting new novel, Last Train to Freedom. It's well worth checking out, so read on!
Last Train to Freedom is currently on blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club. Find other fascinating posts, excerpts, historical tidbits, and more HERE!
Last Train to Freedom
Deborah Swift
Prepare for a thrilling ride!
Having read Deborah's brilliant Secret Agents series, I knew I was in for a real treat.
Last Train to Freedom is set on the gruelling Trans-Siberian Express, and I dare say the pace of the novel is even faster than the train!
We meet young Jewish woman, Zofia, who has fled her native Poland, together with her uncle and brother, when the Nazis arrived. Now she works in a library in Lithuania, but still keeps a wary eye on politics. As the Nazis advance from one side, the Soviets approach from the east – and Zofia has no trust in either.
Her twin brother, Jacek, works as a journalist in a small newspaper, writing anti-Russian articles. Both know their lives may be in danger, but where Zofia is organised and sensible, Jacek is too easy-going, preferring trips to the cinema with his glamorous girlfriend, Masha.
Rumours of Russian forces gathering on the border jolt them into leaving, but Jacek's reluctance costs them valuable time, and before they can blink, the Soviets have taken over Lithuania, purging the streets of intellectuals and academics, whom they hang from trees in public parks. When Uncle Tata, a teacher, is taken away, Zofia knows she's on borrowed time.
When she hears of the Japanese consul handing out transit visas to Jews, she finally convinces Jacek to join her, whilst Masha – a non-Jewish Lithuanian, is tagging along.
At the consulate, they meet Otto, consul Sugihara's assistant Otto, a German who'd been living abroad most of his life, issues the visas just until the point when the consul is escorted from the premises by the Soviets – on his way to his next posting in Berlin!
But before he left, the last ones to get a visa are Zofia and Jacek, and in exchange for their visas, he gives a parcel to Jacek, detailing Nazi atrocities in Poland, to take to the senior Japanese command, to change their mind about allying themselves with Germany.
Otto realises that as a German, and a non-combattant, in Soviet-occupied Lithuania, his life is on the line. As he has taken a liking to Zofia, he joins the twins and Masha on the train.
But soon, as they're hurtling along barren landscapes devoid of humanity, events take a turn for the worse, and Zofia faces great danger, from both Germans and Russians alike.
Will she make it to freedom? And will the parcel help expose the truth? Well, read the novel to find out!
Last Train to Freedom is an absolutely engrossing read. Very well-researched, we join Zofia and her travel companions on their perilous journey across the tundra. The fact pace never lets off, as poor Zofia has to deal with loss, betrayal, and help from unexpected sources.
I read this novel over two very late nights, as I found it so hard to put it down. Ms Swift has created an incredible journey for our characters, with twists and turns at every stop.
The tension never abates as Zofia never feels entirely safe until she reaches Japan. And even there, the danger continues.
Zofia is a resourceful character, with a sensible head on her shoulders, unlike her easy-going twin brother, Jacek. It was easy to like her, and to see her safe. Her intelligence and quick action save her several times, and she is ably helped by Otto, and even Masha – though the girl has an agenda of her own.
Masha is intriguing. She plays the dumb blonde to perfection, whilst hiding her true calling from the others. She is a bit of a femme fatale, and Jacek pays a heavy price for trusting her.
Otto is a conundrum, but he fits perfectly into the plot. A loner who lives with his widowed mother in Kaunas, and works as a secretary for consul Sugihara, he falls for Zofia, but knows she doesn't reciprocate. Still, his jealously shines through at times. His dilemma is realistic, and probably repeated across the world. But he is also honest, and he does the right thing in the end.
Last Train to Freedom is a suspenseful ride across Siberia. The landscape and stops are shown in intriguing depression, devoid of humanity – and of joy! The abject poverty of those selling their wares – foods, trinkets, gifts – to the travellers on the train is obvious, and heartbreaking. They bear witness to the cruel hardship the Communists imposed on their fellow countrymen and women. The agents who round up fleeing Germans, including Jewish refugees, are hard and unmovable in their blind obedience to the state, showing the same cruel conviction as the SS officers who are after the parcel. It makes for stark, realistic reading.
Last Train to Freedom is a fascinating adventure of a group of people fleeing for their lives, from two equally brutal groups of enemies. They can't trust anyone at all. Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, they travel 6000 miles on a train through barren lands, where you could easily disappear forever. Not an enticing prospect, but one that many brave souls have had to take to survive. Hats off to them!
Ms Swift has created a riveting, thought-provoking novel – dark, terrifying at times, and full of realistic twists that have you biting your nails. But also showing the sheer determination and resilience of those who had to take that perilous journey against the real dual threat from Nazis and Soviets. For many, it was their last, their only chance.
If you're after a thrilling, compelling read, incorporating real events in a well-researched fictional plot, then read Last Train to Freedom! It will keep you up at night, and make you gasp in suspense. But it's well worth your time.
Highly recommended!
~~~
1940. As Soviet forces storm Lithuania, Zofia and her brother Jacek must flee to survive.
A lifeline appears when Japanese consul Sugihara offers them visas on one condition: they must deliver a parcel to Tokyo. Inside lies intelligence on Nazi atrocities, evidence so explosive that Nazi and Soviet agents will stop at nothing to possess it.
Pursued across Siberia on the Trans-Siberian Express, Zofia faces danger at every turn, racing to expose the truth as Japan edges closer to allying with the Nazis. With the fate of countless lives hanging in the balance, can she complete her mission before time runs out?
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