The origin of Five Petals from Paris.
I was writing my first novel, set in World War II France, when an unexpected gift came my way.
During lunch with a friend from Paris, she graciously listened to my excitement about the story pouring out on the page. When I paused for breath, she told me that her grandparents who raised her had a similar story. While she knew the main points – parted by war and hiding their children in the countryside – she said her aunt (the youngest of the hidden children) knew much more.
It took me weeks to work up the courage to ask if her aunt might talk to me. Ginette (in the book), now in her eighties, had spent decades tracking family members and recording their stories. I couldn’t believe my luck when she agreed to a video call—my husband acting as translator between French and English.
As I listened, I tried to keep my mouth from gaping open in disbelief. It was incredible to hear what her family endured during the war—things that sound too outlandish to be true. Miraculously, their family of five was reunited when France was freed in 1944, her father bicycling for days to retrieve her from Bretagne. Ginette’s stories inspired Five Petals from Paris.
Of the twenty-nine family members who were taken to various concentration camps over the years of occupation, only three returned. Even as I write this, I pause in a moment of silence for the senseless loss of their lives.
Ginette worked with Yad Vashem France on an official ceremony to honor the families who had helped hide them during the war. While she wished to acknowledge them sooner, her mother’s fear of reprisals as a Jewish family was still far too strong, so she waited. In 2018, she finally managed to honor the memories of brave men and women who helped spare her family.
This story is both unique and universal. Stories like this connect us to something essential — to human dignity. How ordinary people do extraordinary things in the bleakest hours. In the retelling of true events through historical fiction, I hope we can anchor future generations (and ourselves) to stand against greed and hatred.
A special thank you to Ginette who answered countless emails and gave me the green light to imagine the details of her family’s story, and to my friend who offered the gift of her family’s story in the first place. She’s had an incredible life in Paris photographing celebrities and now, in Phoenix, Arizona, creating documentaries of artists she’s captivated by. Her spirit and will to push for the stars have been a source of inspiration to me. The Parisian pastries and long lunches in the Phoenix sun were delightful, too.
*This blog post uses the fictional character names to preserve the family’s anonymity.
