FROM MALICE TO ASHES

by Soviet border guards. Before long, the Germans begin mass executions in the woods. Olek manages to help an injured Jewish boy in hiding, and it’s not long before Olek himself is in trouble. Al makes it to the United States and joins the war effort as quickly as he can\u003B soon, he’s back in Europe with Allied forces. Meanwhile, Zeneta is struggling for her life, along with other Lithuanians whom the Soviets have shipped to Siberia. Toyn’s narrative is based on true events—most notably, the horrors of the Ponary Massacre—and it’s at its strongest when describing, without embellishment, unthinkable events. For instance, as German power waned, prisoners were forced to dig up and systematically burn corpses to cover up the fact that there were mass graves in the Ponary forest. This included the placement of thermite grenades to ensure that the fire “burned hot enough to incinerate the bodies”\u003B the resulting blazes would then burn “for three days or until a heap of ashes remained.” The dialogue isn’t always as sharp, as characters sometimes unnecessarily narrate their actions with statements such as “I have a gift for each of you.” Overall, though, the work succeeds in its author’s aim to shed light on “events largely unknown to Western audiences.”"