The third and final book in Heather Morris' Tattooist Of Auschwitz series, Three Sisters is a haunting, bittersweet, lovely finale.

In 1942, having made a promise to their father that they would always stay together, the family struggles as Nazi's, with the help of local villagers, begin to round up the young people of Slovakia. One sister, Magda, manages to evade capture with the assistance of a kindly doctor, but eventually, all three sisters endure the same fate - imprisonment in the brutal concentration camp, Auschwitz.

The most interesting aspect of Three Sisters is that while we spend a lot of time in Auschwitz/Birkenau, the story doesn't end there. As the Allied Forces close in, the three sisters are taken from Auschwitz and forced to march through the cold, bitter winter. We then move on to life post-war, where the sisters are returned to Slovakia, to a home stolen by a former neighbour, their friends and family lost, and townspeople that, more often than not, still hold their Hitler-fed hatred toward Jews. And so, they decide it's time to go to the promised land - Israel.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Heather Morris is not an author prone to being overly dramatic or wordy. Her writing is perfunctory and to the point, but for these books, it works. The drama lies in the horror of the events themselves, and in the people impacted by those events. She did take a little more license when it came to depicting the family's life in Israel - from helping to establish their new home, to their lives afterwards, the tone of the novel changed completely. While I still wouldn't describe this one as a feel-good novel per se, I'm happy to admit that I found myself laughing and smiling for the first time throughout this series.

Once you've finished the story, you would be well served to continue reading. From Ms Morris' personal thoughts on visiting with the sisters in Israel to the thoughts and letters from members of the Meller family, including the sisters - it's eye-opening to see how each of the sisters processed their trauma and how they did, or didn't, tell their stories to their children. Also, check out Ms Morris' story of hope on the sisters right here.

TL;DR: Kiwi’s Quick Take

What I Loved: As with both of the other Tattooist books, Heather Morris does an amazing job of taking you on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey with the people she writes about. And it was even more obvious, I think, with Three Sisters.
What I Didn't Like: I honestly can't think of a thing with this one! If anything, it's that it's the conclusion of the series.
Conclusion: As with Cilka's Journey, while Three Sisters is part of a series, it can be read standalone. And, as with both previous books, make sure you have tissues handy! This one is an even bigger tear-jerker!