From the Bookshelf of Retro Chapter Chicks …

The Sandcastle Girls

Chris Bohjalian

Start date: November 1, 2016

Finish date: November 30, 2016

Discussion leader: Kris (My Novelesque Life)

Why we're reading this: Our November Mixed Bag is a member suggested historical fiction war era selection. We'll read and discuss…more
[close] Our November Mixed Bag is a member suggested historical fiction war era selection. We'll read and discuss The Sandcastle Girls.

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Nov 09, 2016 Candi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: asia, historical-fiction

"How do a million and a half people die with nobody knowing? … You kill them in the middle of nowhere."

In 1915, amid the turmoil of the First World War, a million and half civilians including women and children perished during the Armenian genocide. Many were executed and others died a slow, painful death as they were forced to march from their villages in the Ottoman Empire through the harsh and unforgiving Syrian desert. Either I slept through history class or this horrific event was simply n "How do a million and a half people die with nobody knowing? … You kill them in the middle of nowhere."

In 1915, amid the turmoil of the First World War, a million and half civilians including women and children perished during the Armenian genocide. Many were executed and others died a slow, painful death as they were forced to march from their villages in the Ottoman Empire through the harsh and unforgiving Syrian desert. Either I slept through history class or this horrific event was simply not taught in school. I’m going to have to assume the latter. This historical fiction novel by Chris Bohjalian was very well-written and certainly a powerful eye-opener.

The story alternates between two timelines and two settings, a technique that seems to be so very popular in current fiction. One timeline takes us back to 1915 and the brutal landscape of Aleppo and the deserts of Syria. The other places us in present day New York as an Armenian descendant and writer, Laura, researches the history of her grandparents. Initially, I found the transitions between the timelines to be a bit jarring, but as I learned more details everything fell into place; I settled easily into the story and was completely absorbed.

Elizabeth Endicott, along with her father, arrives in Aleppo in 1915 as a volunteer through the humanitarian efforts of the Boston-based group, the Friends of Armenia. While in this turbulent land, they shelter at the American compound as guests of the American consul, Ryan Martin. Along with Elizabeth, the reader gets a shocking view of the atrocities being carried out by the Turks as they attempt to create a homogenous country, free from Armenians. A group of deportees, women and children, have just arrived and the glimpse of the torture they have endured is simply heartbreaking. Fortunately, there are also flashes of humanity as others provide assistance and compassion to these tormented souls in what little way they can. Even the small acts of two German soldiers, allies of the Turks, and that of a Turkish soldier himself will restore a little bit of your faith in mankind. Elizabeth will eventually cross paths with Armen, an Armenian engineer who has fled his homeland after losing his wife and daughter in the confusion of the deportations and the slaughter. When Armen leaves to join the fighting with the British Army in Egypt, a tender friendship is nurtured through a series of letters between him and the young American woman. Hope is sustained by four simple words, "Come back to me."

While the contemporary storyline was less compelling, it did help move the narrative forward as Laura conducts her research on the genocide and her Armenian ancestors. As Laura slowly uncovers details and secrets through her probing, the reader also learns a wealth of information about Elizabeth and Armen. The history is necessary, important and harsh. The generosity, determination and honorable actions of several characters is heartwarming and reassuring. I found the ending to be bittersweet and this book to be a great tribute to the wrongful loss of so many innocent lives.

"But history does matter. There is a line connecting the Armenians and the Jews and the Cambodians and the Bosnians and the Rwandans. There are obviously more, but, really, how much genocide can one sentence handle? You get the point."
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171 likes · Like · see review

Jun 16, 2021 Maureen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-audio, audio-books

This is another historical fiction novel that I know little about the history.
Armenian Genocide 1915. It is just amazing to me how much pain and suffering we can inflict on other human beings. One and a half million people were killed. Why?

In this novel the chapters begin with a current time line with Laura researching
The secrets of her grandparents. We go back to the story of Elizabeth Endicott
who goes to Aleppo in 1915 with her father as a volunteer. Little by little Elizabeth’s story is told ...more

33 likes · Like · see review

Aug 22, 2013 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, literary-fiction, survival, concierge, library, social-commentary, war, strong-women, own, love

Audio book performed by Cassandra Campbell and Alison Fraser.

Elizabeth Endicott is a wealthy young American who accompanies her father to Aleppo Syria in 1915 to bring food and medical aid to refugees of the Armenian Genocide. The scenes she witnesses are so horrific they are almost unbelievable. Shortly after arriving she meets Armen, a young Armenian engineer whose wife and daughter have died in the war. They develop a connection, but he is compelled to join the British Army and fight against Audio book performed by Cassandra Campbell and Alison Fraser.

Elizabeth Endicott is a wealthy young American who accompanies her father to Aleppo Syria in 1915 to bring food and medical aid to refugees of the Armenian Genocide. The scenes she witnesses are so horrific they are almost unbelievable. Shortly after arriving she meets Armen, a young Armenian engineer whose wife and daughter have died in the war. They develop a connection, but he is compelled to join the British Army and fight against the Germans and Turks. They write to one another, realizing their love, but frustrated with the realities of war-time correspondence to-and-from a combat zone.

Some ninety years later, their American granddaughter, Laura, begins researching her family’s history, uncovering the story of her grandparents’ love, losses, regrets and secrets.

The novel is told in alternating time frames. Laura’s present-day story is written in first person, allowing the reader to discover her family’s story as Laura uncovers it. The World War I story is told in third person, slowly revealing the characters, their motivations, reactions and thoughts as they experience the horrors of war. Both are compelling story arcs and Bohjalian moves from present to past and back again seamlessly.

I loved how sensitive Laura was to the story she uncovered, how excited she became as she learned more and found new sources of information, how she was stricken by grief on learning what had happened to so many “nameless” people, how determined she was to uncover the truth and bring the story to light. I connected to her and her interest became mine. The war story was compelling and horrifying, but Bohjalian’s characters behaved with integrity and the best intentions. Did they regret any of their decisions? Perhaps. But in the same circumstances could they (or I) have done any better? My only regret is that the novel is finished. I want to go back and re-read it.

Cassandra Campbell and Alison Fraser do a wonderful job performing the audio version. Having two narrators made it very easy to tell which time frame I was in. I’m not sure which of these talented voice artists narrated the World War I story, but she had the more difficult task because of the many characters of different nationalities and with different accents. The audio version also has a bonus interview with Bohjalian.
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7 likes · Like · see review