The Last Train to London

Meg Waite Clayton says that The Last Train to London “was inspired by and meant to honor Truus Wijsmuller-Meijer and the children she rescued, as well as the many people who made the Kindertransports possible.” Although she has taken “smaller liberties” with her fictional story, its spirit and basis remain compellingly true.

It is a story about a time that must never be forgotten. Ironically, it is a contemporary reminder of just how quickly matters can escalate — with draconian consequences.

Clayton’s story begins in December 1936 which she refers to as “The Time Before.” Stephan dreams of being a playwright and Žofie-Helene has already proven herself a brilliant mathematician who is receiving private tutoring. Along with their friend, Deeter, the three dream about their futures as they practice acting out Stephan’s characters. They are innocently and blissfully unaware that since 1933 Truus has been using cheap replicas of her jewelry and other tricks to smuggle children past Nazi soldiers into Amsterdam, assisted by Klara Van Lange, her dedicated but naive apprentice. She and her devoted husband, Joop, have suffered the heartbreaking loss of several unborn children. And although they would like nothing more than to raise their own child, Truus is fully cognizant of the risks she takes in order to shepherd little ones to freedom and that her absences from home, coupled with the danger she faces, would force her to abandon her efforts.

In successive chapters, Clayton’s focus alternates between Truus’s activities, and those of Stephan and Žofie-Helene. Initially, “everyone was too wrapped up in their own families and their own lives to see the politically darkened clouds piling up on the border between Germany and Austria. Everyone thought Hitler was a passing German fad, that it couldn’t happen to Austria, . . . and anyway people had businesses to run and children to raise, parties to attend and portraits to sit for, art to buy.” Clayton intersperses news stories from the era that demonstrate the increasingly-strained relationships between European nations, the Nazis’ encroachment beyond Germany, and the United States’ initial response. The technique is highly effective, as it illustrates the mounting tensions and fears the citizens of those regions felt. Through her storytelling, Clayton demonstrates how desperate matters are gradually becoming, to the point that by 1938 one distraught mother puts her infant daughter, Adele Weiss, into Truus’ arms and hurries away as the child cries out for her “Mama!” The baby has no paperwork and Truus must quickly improvise in order to evade detection and the consequences thereof. Even Truus has not yet come to appreciate the depth of love that would cause a mother to hand her child over to perfect strangers in order to give the infant a chance at life, fearing that the little one without papers has jeopardized the passage of the other children. The supervisor advises Truus, “You do my sister a disservice, Frau Wijsmuller. You would have her risk her daughter’s life along with her own.”

Matters worsen dramatically for Stephan and his family after the full-scale takeover of Austria by the Nazis. His family is displaced from their palatial home, their company taken from them, and they suffer other devastating losses as they struggle to simply survive. Žofie-Helene, along with her younger sister, Johanna, and their grandfather, Herr Perger, the barber, face their own challenges. Žofie-Helene’s mother, like so many other journalists, learns that there is a price associated with truth-telling.

Power-hungry Eichmann, determined to increase his own influence within the Nazi party, wields terror and destruction with his diabolical machinations, accompanied by his trained German Shepherd, Tier.

The movingly terrifying stories of Truus, and Stephan and Žofie-Helene, do not immediately intersect. By the time they do, Clayton has fully immersed readers in their narratives, ensuring readers’ investment in their fates. Truus is not fearless. On the contrary, she is wise and savvy enough to understand the stakes and proceed with cautious determination. She observes, “My father used to say courage isn’t the absence of fear, but rather going forward in the face of it.” She well knows that the contingency for which one fails to plan is the one that can bring defeat.

Stephan, like the other young people who witnessed the atrocities of the time, matures quickly as he sees what is happening to his country, his family, and the reactions of those around him. He quickly appreciates the depth of betrayal by his fellow citizens and friends as he finds himself caught up in a demonstration where those around him are chanting “One People! One Reich! One Fuhrer!” and he realizes that those “words might well echo through Stephan’s head for the rest of his life.” Clayton’s portrayal of Stephan’s coming-of-age is chillingly realistic and heartbreaking. Žofie-Helemeane must likewise come to terms with the evaporation of the future she envisioned and staggering loss.

And at the heart of the story is the triumph of Truss who, like so many others, is bewildered by what is happening around her. “Where are the decent German people? Why aren’t they standing against this? Where are the leaders of the world?” But there is no time to await answers because she is challenged by none other than Eichmann himself. And unwilling to accept defeat. With the assistance of many other brave souls, the mission is a success, but not without concomitant costs.

The Last Train to London tells but one of the many stories of heroism, bravery, and dedication that ultimately brought defeat to the Nazi regime. Clayton’s approach to her subject matter is measured and successful. She demonstrates the impact of history upon her characters with restrained realism which illustrates the depth of their extraordinary resilience and commitment to those they love and the tasks history has assigned to them. Truus is deeply conflicted, questioning why she cannot carry a child to term and feeling that she has let her husband down. She declares, “I’m a woman who can’t bear a child in a world that values nothing else from me!” even as Joop assures her that she is “a woman doing important work, in a world that badly needs you.” Eventually, in Clayton’s handling of her story, Truus finds peace in her fate. “Perhaps this is why God chose to deny us children. Because there would be this greater need, this chance to save so many. Perhaps He saved us the burden of having to choose to risk leaving our own children motherless.”

The Last Train to London is powerful, engrossing, and absolutely heartbreaking — at certain junctures, extremely difficult to continue reading. For that reason, it is a book that needs to be read because it is also full of hope, power, and strength. It is a beautifully crafted reminder that one person can make a difference.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.

Well written saga of a terrible period in our lives and how one woman di above and beyond what she could to make things better. Inspirational

Jewish children and adults went thru so much horrow. It’s wonderful to know that someone was there to try and help their situations!

This book will pull at your heartstrings. The story is based on the real-life person of Truus Wijsmiller-Meijer of the Netherlands during the early days of Hitler’s reign of terror as he invaded Austria and later Czechoslovakia. Truus worked feverishly to help Jewish children escape Nazi clutches as she arranged for passage for thousands of children (small groups at a time, but at one point 600 children) into England and into homes of those blessed people who would accept them. The characters in the book are fabulous; I felt like I was there with them and seeing the story unfold through their eyes. I could feel the love of their families, and the great love they had for each other. If you don’t read another book this year, make sure you read this one!

Short interesting times.

After a slow start with many German names and characters, this true story settles down and centers around 3-4 main characters. It pays homage to the actual Dutch woman who helped bring 10,000 Jewish children safely out of the grasp of Hitler’s Third Reich.

From beginning to end, I was pulled into this larger world of Germany, Austria, Amsterdam. The rush of Hitler’s fury feels like a wildfire across this part of the world, as Nazi Germany engulfs one country after another during this time in history when vulnerable children are caught up in the angry political tides. As the train progresses carrying children to safety, the brutality and inhumanity they face, is heart rending.

Wonderful recognition of the work of a brave woman who saved hundreds of lives of children during the Nazi regime. Had not known of her prior to reading this novel.

4.5 stars. Powerful story of a courageous Dutch woman, Truus Wijsmuller, “Tante Truus”, a true historical figure who has been largely forgotten, but who took on the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children from Austria just before the outbreak of WWII, just because it was the right thing to do. Although I have read a lot of novels set in WWII (and written one myself!) this book had a real emotional impact on me. Clayton manages to make incredibly vivid the plight of those whose lives were turned upside down by the Nazi occupation of Vienna. The book started slowly for me, with very short, alternating chapters between Truus and the teenage Austrians, Stephan and Zofie-Helene, whom she must eventually try to rescue – perhaps because the chapters were so short, I found it difficult to get to know the multiple characters and keep them straight in my mind. But after a while, the pace picks up, and the tension come through; by the last half I found it a real page-turner. Wonderful characters that you will be sad to leave at the end.