CARAVANS IN THE DARK

Oldre’s historical novel delves into the struggles of Romani people under Nazi occupation.

In the late 1930s, a Romani family travels though the prewar Czechoslovakia, trying to make a living. Fifteen-year-old Jana Benak is used to this nomadic life, helping her stepmother Zofie take care of younger siblings, telling fortunes in town, and scavenging for supplies, but she longs for more independence and self-expression. Not long after Jana’s family arrives in Prague, they’re caught in the crosshairs of conflict: Nazi soldiers flood the country, bringing out deep-seated animosity between the local Germans and the Czech population. For the Romani, this means even more uncertainty and persecution; many men in Jana’s family are arrested, their horses are requisitioned for the German army’s needs, and a brief but chilling encounter between Jana and Adolf Hitler himself leaves no doubt about his plans: “We’ll soon be rid of her race,” he mutters to his entourage. The novel follows several characters as they attempt to resist the Nazis. Jana forms a connection with a clockmaker, Joseph Novotny, at the castle where she works; he trains her to deliver clandestine messages. Meanwhile, Jana’s friend Otto is drawn into a plot to tamper with the steel used for gun production, and his Czech friend Albert uses his family’s means to help Romani people escape the occupied territories. Overall, this historical novel has a compelling premise, tackling an underrepresented story of the Second World War. However, the aimless plot and overly large cast of characters make for a tedious read. Small incidents eventually coalesce into a larger picture, but when the climax finally arrives, it rests on a historical figure who’s otherwise peripheral to the main action. Oldre’s impressive research shines in the descriptions of Romani life and traditions. However, some of the dialogue is so slangy that it feels almost anachronistic (“Can you believe those jerks?”; “get your ass back on the job, pronto”).

A well-intentioned but awkwardly executed look at lesser-known events of World War II.