Review: The Things We Cherished by Pam Jenoff

Pam Jenoff, whose first novel, The Kommandant’s Girl, was a Quill Award finalist, a Book Sense pick, and a finalist for the ALA Sophie Brody Award, joins the Doubleday list with a suspenseful story of love and betrayal set during the Holocaust.

An ambitious novel that spans decades and continents, The Things We Cherished tells the story of Charlotte Gold and Jack Harrington, two fiercely independent attor­neys who find themselves slowly falling for one another while working to defend the brother of a Holocaust hero against allegations of World War II–era war crimes.

The defendant, wealthy financier Roger Dykmans, mysteri­ously refuses to help in his own defense, revealing only that proof of his innocence lies within an intricate timepiece last seen in Nazi Germany. As the narrative moves from Philadelphia to Germany, Poland, and Italy, we are given glimpses of the lives that the anniversary clock has touched over the past century, and learn about the love affair that turned a brother into a traitor.

Rich in historical detail, Jenoff’s astonishing new work is a testament to true love under the worst of circumstances. -Summary from Goodreads


Based on the cover, I went into this book expecting a sweet WWII era romance. Well, it had romance but there was so much more to it than that. This book had budding romance, love triangles, mystery, legal drama and heartbreak spanning several decades. The Things We Cherished involves several different stories linked together by a special, one of a kind, hand-made anniversary clock.


Charlotte is still trying to get over the sting of being left by her long-term boyfriend for someone else when he comes barging into her life again, recruiting her to work on a legal case with his estranged brother, Jack. Their client is accused of a heinous act but is unconcerned with defending himself. So Charlotte and Jack are sent on a several city European goose chase for the truth. As their clients secrets unfold some secrets of their own are brought into the light. 


I enjoyed watching the story unfold and each time I thought I'd figured it out, something new would be revealed and change my mind. It was a beautiful story and filled with a little bit of everything, romance, mystery, and intrigue to make everyone happy.



*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review