The Girl From the Train - Irma Joubert

Six year old Gretl Schmidt jumps from a train in rural Poland with her sister leaving behind her mother and grandmother.  After finding shelter with a local family little Gretl has to learn to fit in with the Polish Catholic household.

I found the first part of the book engaging and interesting, although it was a little lacking in backstory as I wondered about how her family had ended up on the train, and it felt to me like some of the story had been edited away.

 I did struggle with the second part of the story which was about a more grown up Gretl who has settled in South Africa.  Although it was interesting to read about an area of the world I know little about, I found it a little bit focused on the religious aspects of her life and I was a bit creeped out by the love affair.  2/5