We first meet Lore in Judge Brodbeck's court after WW II.  Her husband wants a divorce.  After all, Lore had a child with another man.  No matter that she was a prisoner in a concentration camp at the time.  Judge Brodbeck senses Lore has a story to tell.  He is right.  THE CHILD WHO LIVED, by Ellie Midwood, tells the story of Lore and the other women who were imprisoned in Mauthausen. In this work of historical fiction, Lore is a fictional character who is a composite of actual prisoners. The historical events depicted in the story are based on facts. The series of events that led to Lore's imprisonment and to her becoming a sex slave are inconceivable, but they did happen. Amidst the horror of the hell she finds herself in comes an unexpected love and a pregnancy.  What are the chances any of them can survive?

Expertly crafted, the story is told in dual timelines. Graphicly described are the unimaginable acts of inhumanity the SS inflicted upon the prisoners. But somehow Lore and the rest of the brothel workers form a sisterhood and what they were able to achieve just before perhaps one of the most famous prison escapes ever is nothing short of remarkable.

THE CHILD WHO LIVED is an important story for a number of reasons.  One in particular is that it brings forward a topic not often discussed and that is the sexual crimes committed during war. This is a gripping, profound and memorable story about the will to survive and never giving up hope.  Highly recommended.