The Tattooist of Auschwitz Summary
Heather Morris

The Tattooist of Auschwitz Overview

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is Heather Morris' debut novel. Based on the author's interviews with a survivor of Auschwitz named Lale Sokolav, The Tattooist of Auschwitz chronicles Sokolav's experiences at the Nazi prison camp and his love story with Gita Furman, another prisoner. Morris uses Sokolav's experiences to showcase the atrocities, conditions, and people of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camps. The story begins in 1942 and ends with the escape of Lale and Gita in 1945. While the love story forms the crux of the storyline, the impact of the book comes from its exploration of several themes: the loss of identity, the belief that to save one is to save the world, and the question of survival at all costs.