The World That We Knew

Struggling to accept the brutal death of her father at the hands of the Nazis, Marianne continues to shepherd Jewish refugee children to safety in Switzerland. She grows increasingly in love with Victor. Despite their five-year age difference, he makes her feel special, beautiful, extraordinary. He is “brash and fearless and unpredictable,” and he makes Marianne feel like “the most beautiful woman in the world” (299). Before he leaves for a mission, they make love: “He took her in his arms and loved her fiercely. He was so young, and he wanted her so” (301). He then promises Marianne that after the war they will live together on her family’s farm. After they make love, however, a bee from the farm’s hives flies into Victor’s mouth. A single sting inside a person’s throat “could kill him in an instant” (301). Fortunately, the bee flies out, and Victor lets out a “joyful shout” (301). For Marianne, the moment is a sobering reminder that people “were so breakable and so easy to lose, especially now” (301).

Meanwhile, Julien’s long silence devastates Lea, now 16. When she’s rummaging through Ava’s dresser drawers looking for writing supplies, Lea discovers the note and map