Hidden Yellow Stars

In a historical novel inspired by real events, Connolly (A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice) introduces readers to Andrée, a schoolteacher in Belgium who is appalled by the Nazis. When Andrée is invited by her Jewish friend Ida to join a secret movement helping Jewish parents hide their children in safe places until the war is over, Andrée is eager to pitch in. The group faces many obstacles, however, from the difficulty of identifying where the children will truly be safe to the ever-present risk of being noticed by Nazi informers. As Andrée and Ida usher child after child to safety, they live in constant fear of one mistake ruining everything. The novel’s narrative momentum often slows due to the characters’ lengthy and repetitive inner monologues, frequently used by Connolly to catch readers up on events that have happened off the page and to needlessly restate the women’s easily understood motivations. Connolly’s admiration of her subjects is clear, however, and she vividly captures the psychological and emotional impact of doing such dangerous and seemingly unending work.