Touching the Wire by Rebecca Bryn is a story of all the women of the Holocaust. Miriam, a Jewish nurse, steps down from a cattle wagon and into the heart of Chuck, a young doctor, but saving her from the gas chamber exposes her to the full horror of camp life. Their relationship blossoms and together they save lives, joining the camp resistance and risking execution daily. At liberation, they are separated, Chuck stealing damning evidence that he dare not reveal for fear of harming his post-war family. Part Two takes place after his death. His granddaughter, Charlotte, fighting her own demons, seeks to uncover the past her grandfather wouldn’t speak of, and solve the mystery of what happened to Miriam, his lost love.
Rebecca Bryn has a way with words I have found in no other writer: “she’d left footprints in his heart, trodden deep and clear.” Beautiful, but the true meaning behind them is hidden for a long time in Touching The Wire. A powerful and unforgettable story of life in Auschwitz, it is a testament to the courage of those that survived; touching the electric fence that surrounded the camp was the fastest way to commit suicide. I can only admire Ms Bryn for undertaking what must have been challenging research, and recommend this superbly written book to all. The horror of man's inhumanity to man and the love story between Walt and his “sepia girl” combine to make a nail-biting read that will leave you looking for more books by this talented author.