(WPF) The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult - 4 stars

[Ellen]

Sage Singer carries scars; physical and emotional. After a devastating car crash left her with permanent injuries to her face and the loss of a loved one, Sage began to withdraw from the outside world. Being a baker helped with her isolation as she was able to work behind the scenes while most of the city was still sleeping. Her relationship with a handsome but married mortician was something else she could hide but it was ultimately proving to be an unsatisfactory arrangement. Then one day 95-year-old Josef Weber entered the bakery. Sage and Josef had met before in a grief counseling group they both attended. As Josef sat drinking his coffee, he and Sage began speaking of their lives and an immediate friendship was born. The two became very close until Josef asked Sage for a favor that stunned the young woman. He can no longer outrun his past and wishes Sage to be the one to help him die.

Sage's grandmother Minka was imprisoned at Auschwitz for years but was fortunate to become one of the survivors. Minka had aspired to be a writer and her story of star-crossed love between a young girl and a monster, most likely a vampire, was part of what kept Minka alive. Working as a secretary to a high-ranking Nazi officer, Minka would read her story to him always leaving him wanting to know what happened next. Years later, Sage would approach Minka about her time spend in the concentration camp, asking her to help make Sage make the decision about Josef knowing all the while it was both immoral and illegal.

This is a tough book to read as some of the stories from Minka's time at Auschwitz are extremely painful. Sage and Minka are great characters and Josef is at times likeable and despicable. The decision Sage must make is extremely difficult and drives the entire story.