Briar Rose Yolen

Gemma always told her granddaughters a strange version of Sleeping Beauty — a girl named Briar Rose, a castle surrounded by mist, princes who came too late. On her deathbed, she whispers: "I am Briar Rose." Rebecca, the youngest granddaughter, becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the fairy tale. Her search leads to Poland, to the ruins of a forest, and to a Holocaust story so harrowing it could only survive wrapped in metaphor. Yolen weaves together a modern quest narrative with testimonies from the camps, showing how fairy tales can be both shield and vessel for unspeakable history. The novel moves between Rebecca's investigation and Gemma's encoded past, building to a revelation that reframes everything. For readers who loved The Book Thief or The Nightingale — literary historical fiction that honors memory without flinching.