Where the hell do I
even start with this book?
I know for a while, I
throw in the odd comment where I say ‘If you haven’t heard of ____ Then
where the hell have you been’ but this time, if you are completely unaware of
this women, then I’m afraid I must take you under my wing and not release you
until you have been wonderfully educated.
I don’t feel that it is quite necessary
to elaborate this young girl, as truth being told; every one whom I’m around is
knowledgeable of the acts that occurred around Anne Frank.
Also, if I’m being
honest, I’m a little fearful to write this review, purely because I feel my
thoughts won’t do this brilliant book justice, but hopefully, you will accept
what I give you.
One thing I have
enjoyed since a very young age is History and it just so happens that World War
2 struck me like a bolt of lightening - If I’m given an opportunity to explore WW2,
then by all means I will take it: Museums, books, Air museums… the whole lot,
if I spot it, I go to it.
After completing this
book, I began to wonder why on earth it initially had taken me so long to read
it; this masterpiece has been on my book list for over four years now and it is
in the year 2015, that I finally put my nose in it and I could not have been
more moved in my life.
I felt so utterly
touched by this novel that I have now made it crucial for this small diary of
Anne’s to remain in my personal favourites for as long as I live.
It’s rather difficult
to elaborate on what exactly makes this book so significant and I know that may
seem a little daft considering I just mentioned ‘It’s on my list of favourite
books right now!’
When I first finished
the book, my immediate thought was, ‘I expected something different, but that
wasn’t what I initially anticipated.’
Due to the current
situation Anne was placed in, as well her parents, friends and extended family,
you would have anticipated something out of the ordinary but to any one’s surprise,
you will find the whole book to be entirely…normal and I guess that realization
is what shocks you.
I’m not sure if every
one possibly shares the same opinion as I and if you don’t, I guess when you
read that, you’ll most likely go ‘Well, YES!’
I know originally when
I acknowledged the book, I assumed Otto Frank may have had some of his
daughters writing changed, but to my surprise, it was only spell checked and
then released, and you will be incredibly surprised by the fact that Anne was
an incredibly intelligent girl.
I by no means look
into a book and expect astounding vocabulary and remarkable grammar, because
the truth is, that isn’t the point, nor is it the reason to why you pick up a
book, but I had considered that maybe Anne’s writing wouldn’t be too great
(This was me thinking of my 14 year old self and not being the greatest writer
AT ALL.)
But I was wonderfully
gobsmacked: Anne was astounding with her knowledge. She had learnt multiple
languages, exceeded anything she was challenged with and I was truly moved by
her eagerness to learn.
Of course with Anne’s
religion putting her in jeopardy, it was deemed crucial that her and her family
remain in hiding until the war was over, however what surprised me about all of
this, was that it was treated as the norm and this frightened me.
Anne would inform you
that her and her housemates would turn of every light, every electric source in
the house and crouch into silence for hours or maybe days on end. But this? It
was totally normal, how horrific is that?
In the beginning of
the book, Anne writes down the routine that each of her housemate has, a long
with the daily routine her family had:
Have to get up at
6:45AM, must be quiet after 8.
Mustn’t flush the
toilet after 8PM and 6AM.
Keep black out curtains
on at all times.
And not one of them
could break those rules, because if they did, they would have been caught.
I know when reading
over the stories briefly (what ever they may consist off), I cannot anticipate
any politeness during those times for such people, but when they are written
down in front of you, you are given a better understanding of it all and now,
it just feels more real.
After reading so far
into the novel, you learn that Anne no longer holds hope for herself and all
she desires is that things should end, whether it be brutal or not. Yet still
the idea is fickle, because gladly, happiness finds a way with the Frank
family.
Towards the end of the
novel, you find that Anne builds a friendship with another boy in the household
and upon writing it all down, I feel myself smile viciously because although
she didn’t have the chance to do it for very long, Anne was capable of acting
and being a little girl.
It is then towards the
end in 1944, that you come upon the realisation that Anne’s diary is almost cut
off; her last entry is rather chirpy and pleasant, but upon realising there was
nothing more, I felt a sudden dread come over me, despite already knowing
Anne’s fait.
With this novel now in
my hands, I can understand entirely how it had such an impact on people today,
yet one thing which daunts me so much is that what Anne discusses in this diary
of hers, can be applied to many actions in this century.
It is almost
shattering to see that over 50 years later, the minds of people haven’t evolved
very much and I fear that in the future (whether be after I am dead or when I’m
alive) I predict similar actions will occur.
And that is something,
I deeply, deeply hate.
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