Only I Can Save Them

by Imogen Matthews, Molly Hanson (Narrator)

Nazi-occupied Holland, 1942. Rudolf's heart breaks as the gates of Westerbork transit camp clang shut behind his Jewish family. He had no choice but to accept a job as the camp's photographer to keep his children safe. It feels like a trap. Will they ever walk out of here again?





Rudolf takes portraits of hundreds of souls marked for deportation, his heart shattering with every click of his camera. He knows what the Nazis are doing to families just like theirs. But with each day come little acts of resistance. One day, when the guards aren't looking, he takes a picture of a little girl on a train to Auschwitz, her tear-filled eyes pleading for help. His photograph could change the course of the war. This could be his only chance to save them all.





Then, Rudolf and his family are ordered to report to the platform. Do the Nazis know about the photo? And can he still save the people he loves the most?

Genres: Historical Fiction

Audible Audio

Expected publication October 10, 2025

About the author

Imogen Matthews lives in Oxford, England, and is the author of two romantic fiction novels. The Hidden Village is her first foray into historical fiction and YA.

She was born in Holland to a Dutch mother and English father and moved to England when she was still a baby.

Imogen has always enjoyed holidays in Holland and since 1990, has gone regularly with her husband and two children to Nunspeet on the edge of the Veluwe woods.

It was here she discovered the story of the hidden village and, together with her mother's vivid stories of life in WW2 Holland, she was inspired to write her historical fiction novels about bravery, courage, resilience and love.

Reviews

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to be posted Oct. 11 on my book tour date!

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Only I Can Save Them, by Imogen Matthews, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Rudolph Breslauer is a photographer, only its 1942 in Holland, and Hitler is in charge. This book goes back and forth between Rudolph and his great granddaughter, Eloise. This was an important and interesting read, about a man I have never heard of, but will never forget about.

[linda hole · Rating 4 out of 5]

a must read thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

[Dawn Lawrence Read_with_Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing, I loved it. The story of a photographer, a husband and father fighting to keep his family safe and out of Auschwitz. To do this he has to be the camp photographer at Westerbork Camp which is a transition camp. The Nazis want him to photograph happy people for propaganda ads for the world to see but in an act of complete bravery he starts to film and photograph the “real” camp. It’s a dual timeline story which gives it another level of interest. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, parts were hard to read, heartbreaking and so sad but also so strong and courageous. Highly recommend!

[Donna McCaul Thibodeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rudolph Breslauer is a Jewish photographer. He is forced to accept a position at a camp, where Jews are in transit to Bergen Belson, Auschwitz, and other concentration camps. Secretly, he begins taking photographs to document the Nazi evil that is taking place. Will he be able to keep them hidden, and his family safe?
This book is a fictional account of a real person. This is the first I have heard of Rudolph Breslauer, and I've read a lot of books about World War II. It's well written, and a very sobering read. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only I Can Save Them by Imogen Matthews is a powerful dual timeline novel that has its’ roots in facts as we follow photographer Rudolf Breslauer from Leipzig in 1936 and onwards. The second period is in present day and seen through the eyes of Rudolf Breslauer’s great granddaughter.
The novel spans the Second World War years as we follow Rudolf Breslauer and his family from their home in Amsterdam (where they located to avoid the persecution) to the camp of Westerbork, which was a holding camp for Dutch Jews before continuing on to Auschwitz, Birkenau or Theresienstadt.
In present day, a great granddaughter finds a photo of her grandmother aged thirteen in a book. She wants to seek the truth about her grandmother’s family and their wartime experiences.
For all of her life, the grandmother has kept quiet but as she approaches the end of her life, is it now time for the truth to come out?
Rudolf Breslauer did what he could in order to protect his family. He was chosen as the official photographer of Westerbork – but there were only so many photos that the commandant wanted before it would be a one-way ticket to Auschwitz.
While in Westerbork Rudolf Breslauer “knew he had to record the truth.” He bravely took unofficial photographs and cine, hiding it, in the hope that someone would find it and the world would see the truth and not believe the Nazi lies.
We see the truth of the Jewish saying “whoever saves one life saves the world entire” in the number of descendants from Rudolf Breslauer.
Only I Can Save Them is such a powerful tale. It needs to be read in memory of the six million innocents who died and of those who survived.
I received a free copy via the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

[Trudy Dowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became enthralled with the story from the beginning. As I read and searched for more information about what I read; I became obsessed. Every tear, every crack in my heart, every moment of sadness has created a lasting impression. Rudolf Breslauer was forced to go to Westerork Camp as the camp photographer. His photos of life at Westerbork Camp were supposed to be propoganda for the Germans. The photos he took in secret show the real truth. I will not forget the risks Rudolf Breslauer took every time he clicked his Leica camera.

I cannot forget the horrors described. I cannot forget what Rudolf Breslauer risked in order to document to atrocious treatment the the Jews experienced at the hands of the Nazis. The author brought the story to life with her words is such away that I had to keep reading even when it was through teary eyes.

This story is one of the most emotional World War Two historical fictions that I have read in awhile. I became invested in the family, hoping for the best, not knowing what the worst would be. The glimpse into the Breslauer family brought life to the boring textbooks that barely touched on what occurred. Only I Can Save Them needs to be read by everyone. We all need to learn and remember. We need to make sure no one is ever treated so horribly again.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imogen Matthews wrote a compelling story about Rudolf Breslauer's family and how they faced the tragedy that was being Jewish during WWII. The book is fiction but it reads as completely true and the emotions that come from hearing the story about his family members and their lives having to relocate and then being forced to travel to Westbork transit camp and all they were faced with before being sent to Auschwitz.
The non-linear timeline as we learn more about Mr. Breslauer's work as a photographer and the risks he took to share with the world what the Nazis were doing destroy Jews during this horrific time. His daughter sharing her life with her granddaughter now in the current timeframe is enlightening but also very difficult to read as someone who has never known anyone who was impacted by this awful time in history.
I cried tears of joy and sadness throughout the book and know that it is a very touching story about the Breslauer family and their contributions to let others know more about what life was like during this time and the horrors that were faced in the concentration camps.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to review Only I Can Save Them.

**I read this Advanced Readers' Copy through NetGalley, Release date is October 10, 2025**

[Caroline Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Heartbreaking story of a photographer who desperately wanted to save his family from the concentration camps. A story that’s hard to put down even as your heart aches.