I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this book. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of it. I thought I had read everything I wanted to about the Holocaust, but this book presented information that was new to me in a very powerful way. The book is written in contemporary time from the point of view of an Israeli Nazi hunter and a Lithuanian academic historian. I appreciated being able to see how their backgrounds and family histories impacted their perspectives on what happened in Lithuania during the war. The author brought the characters to life, and their personal lives and issues made the book interesting on their own. I think this book would be an excellent choice for book discussion groups.

Milia Gottstein takes over from her father and grandfather as the head of the Survivor’s Campaign, an organization to bring Nazi war criminals to justice. She has dedicated her life making sure the Holocaust victims will never be silenced. Milia receives an invitation to be the keynote speaker at a Holocaust conference in Lithuania from Dr. Darius Vidas. She is seen as an enemy’ in that country for her efforts to have them try war criminals and admit their historic responsibility for annihilating almost their entire Jewish community, including her own family—At her speeches, there are riots with people not believing what she is saying.
I have read many stories of the Holocaust but this one was one of the most real, most bothersome, most sad I believe I have read. It is worth reading and let’s hope that none of us will forget what happened those years ago. I did shed tears while reading this and I know I will always remember.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this story.

The Enemy Beside Me by Naomi Ragen is a powerful and moving novel.
This well researched novel will give the reader an insightful view into Lithuania.
The descriptive details was vividly portrayed and provides tremendous depth and backstory. Clearly the novel becomes more of a page-turner the deeper you get into the story.
The supporting characters add depth and passion to this transitional tale, and I immensely enjoyed reading their thoughts and insights and the complexity that this added to the novel.
I was completely blown away by this story. Her writing was stunning and so compelling.
This book and these characters will stay with you long after you have finished the last page.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Imagine you are me--a voracious reader who also happens to be a librarian. And here it is, mid-May, and you are halfway through a book that you're already realizing is going to be THE best book you read this year. And you finish it knowing that you were right. It WILL be the best book I read this year because it is absolutely amazing in every way that a book can be. It is an eye-opener to some hard truths about Lithuania. It has characters that are fully developed, imperfect, but striving to be the best they can be. And it has wonderful descriptions of people, places, and feelings.

There are passages in this book that will have you breathing with great trepidation. You'll be tempted to go quickly and not dwell on the horrors. But then you'll realize that you must, and you go back and read through it, allowing it all to sink in.

It's a story, but it is also an education. Ragen has outdone herself here and I've read everything she's ever written. This is a masterpiece.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It is phenomenal.

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
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Inspired by actual events, Naomi Ragen's The Enemy Beside Me is a powerful, provocative novel about two people fighting for reconciliation over unforgivable crimes of the past.
Taking over from her father and grandfather as the head of the Survivor’s Campaign, an organization whose purpose is to bring Nazi war criminals to justice, Milia Gottstein has dedicated her life to ensuring the voices of Holocaust victims will never be silenced. It is an overwhelming and heartbreaking mission that has often usurped her time and energy being a wife to busy surgeon Julius, and a mother and grandmother. But now, just as she is finally ready to pass on her work to others, making time for her personal life, an unexpected phone call suddenly explodes all she thought she knew about her present and her future.
n the midst of this personal turmoil, Milia receives an invitation to be the keynote speaker at a Holocaust conference in Lithuania from Dr. Darius Vidas, the free-spirited, rebellious conference head. Despite suspecting his motives―she is, after all, viewed as a ‘public enemy’ in that country for her efforts to have them try war criminals and admit their historic responsibility for annihilating almost their entire Jewish community, including her own family―she nevertheless accepts, having developed a secret agenda of her own.
But as Milia and Darius begin their mission, shared experiences profoundly alter their relationship, replacing antagonism and suspicion with a growing intimacy. However, this only ramps up the hostile forces facing them, threatening their families, livelihoods, and reputations, and forcing them into shocking choices that will betray all they have achieved and all that has grown between them.

Due, perhaps, to a rapidly changing demographic in our city and allocation of funds towards that, there is only ONE Naomi Ragen book left in our system An Unorthodox Match which I argue about all the time that there should be MORE Jewish literature - especially the sequel to that book An Observant Wife-- both are 5-star reads. (I have been known to lend out my own copies of her books and send people to bookstores for her works - especially book clubs) This is another one that I will push to get onto our shelves but as it is historical fiction (based on true events) I may not have a problem getting it purchased as those books seem to automatically be approved.

Now - onto the actual review.
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This is an excellent piece of fact-based fiction that kept me enthralled from page one to end. The story was expertly crafted and the characters were wonderful to spend time with - they were the non-violent version of The Hunters (Amazon Prime Video) which we have binge-watched more than once from stem to stern. An absolutely wonderful book that you should pick up in addition to the two mentioned above. I also highly recommend The Sacrifice of Tamar if you are looking for another excellent book to read.
Highly recommended - 5 out of 5 stars.
#shortbutsweetreviews