The Last Orphan by Carly Schabowski

✴✴✴ Publication date: 01-December-2025 ✴✴✴

Description from Goodreads:

"Would you save a child in a warzone? Marcin is just hoping to keep himself safe during the Nazi invasion. But once he befriends his Jewish neighbors, his fate is sealed, and when their building is raided by the Nazis, Marcin finds himself hiding their son, Adam.

Marcin vows to keep Adam safe at all costs. But as he starts an impossible journey across the borders of wartorn Europe towards safety, he begins to realize Adam isn’t the only child who needs his help. And when they encounter more orphaned children in hiding, Marcin becomes determined to save as many as possible. Even if that will put his own life—and Adam’s—at terrible risk.

What Adam and the other orphans don’t know, is that Marcin has a secret. He did something terrible in Poland. Something he can never forgive himself for. Until many years later, where he’s living his life peacefully in rural Washington, USA, and he answers a call from another mother in distress. Marcin is needed again. But this time, it’s Adam’s daughter who needs him...

An impossible journey, a secret that spans generations, and a story about loss, bravery and healing that you’ll never forget!"

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If you're looking for a World War II historical fiction novel that doesn't just focus on the horrors of the war but the long, devastating aftermath on those who survived it, this one is for you. 

The dual timeline (1942 Poland/Hungary and 1982 rural Washington) works brilliantly to explore the repercussions of trauma. We follow Marcin as he makes impossible choices to save Adam, his young Jewish neighbour, joining a resistance network to save orphans. The suspense is palpable, particularly with the heartbreaking scenes of children having to jump from trains.

Marcin is a fascinating character, weighed down by crippling guilt over a secret. This makes the 1982 story line compelling when he connects with Clara, Adam's daughter, who is struggling with her own trauma. It’s a dark story of generational suffering but also by hope and self-forgiveness.

Overall, this is a compelling story with rich characters and a strong sense of place. If you appreciate historical fiction that focuses on the emotional consequences of survival, this book is definitely worth picking up.

Many thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this powerful read that had me hooked from the very first page.

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