Book Review
The Resistance Painter by Kath Jonathan
Historical Fiction | Dual Timeline
Last year, two of my top historical reads for the year just happened to feature the Polish Resistance during WWII. The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt and The Keeper of the Hidden Books by Madeline Martin were both breathtaking and poignant, and opened up a new angle to WWII history that I hadn’t yet explored, sending me down rabbit holes of further research.
So, when I read the blurb for this debut novel by Kath Jonathan, The Resistance Painter, I instinctively knew that this story had strong five-star potential. Not only that, but the book featured a dual-timeline (my favourite way of exploring historical fiction) and featured themes of art and creativity in the midst of suffering and loss.
The Resistance Painter follows Irena, a painter whose dreams of art school are crushed when the Germans invade Poland; and her granddaughter, Jo, in 2010 Toronto, an artist who designs grave sculptures. Both timelines are impactful and beautifully written, exploring various themes of grief, art, family, and survival. While a dual-timeline about a granddaughter uncovering and exploring her grandmother’s history and war experiences is nothing new, this book felt fresh and engaging throughout, and I had a difficult time putting the book down.
While the novel dances back and forth between timelines, the majority of the story is set in Poland during WWII. This portion of the book was heartbreaking, vibrantly descriptive, and felt incredibly well researched. Irena’s character is fierce and determined, and I think out of all the fiction I’ve read on this topic, this one gave me the strongest visual impression of the sewers, making that element of the story come alive.
I also really enjoyed Jo’s modern timeline. The relationship between her and her aging grandmother was nuanced and well-rounded, and I loved the uniqueness of Jo’s art career and what that brought to the story. Although there were a few aspects of this second timeline that didn’t quite flow as neatly for me (some of the conversations could have been fleshed out more as there were instances where it felt like a bit of a jump) it was also extremely solid, well written, and absolutely drew me in.
With its moving plot and writing, this book will definitely be hitting my list of top ten reads for 2025. For fans of historical fiction, dual-timelines, or those wanting a story that both warms and breaks your heart as you explore tales of courage and resistance — this is for you.
Recommended for:
Historical fiction fans
This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Advance copy of the book provided courtesy of the publisher, Simon and Schuster Canada. All opinions expressed are my own.
About the book:
(From the publisher): An evocative work of historical fiction, examining the little-known story of Poland’s extraordinary WW ll resistance army and the contemporary lives of two artists, grandmother and granddaughter, inextricably linked by a wartime betrayal.
Warsaw 1939. Irena Marianowska’s dreams of attending art school in Paris are crushed when the Nazis invade Poland. Instead, she joins the Home Army and, together with her resistance cell, risks her life guiding people to safety through the sewers of Warsaw. In 1942, after a harrowing mission, she returns home to learn that her sister, Lotka, has been abducted by the Gestapo. In her search for Lotka, Irena encounters a host of characters who lead her into greater danger.
Toronto 2010. Jo Blum lives in Toronto with her beloved grandmother, a lauded painter of WWII and a decorated war hero. Jo has a budding career creating sculptures for grave sites based on the life stories of her dying clients. Her recorded interviews with Stefan, her new Polish client, unveil an heroic wartime past eerily similar to her grandmother’s. But Jo’s quest to uncover the truth about Stefan and her grandmother opens an explosive Pandora’s box whose shockwaves threaten everything she’s known about her family.
The Resistance Painter will resonate with fans of The Berlin Apartment, The Secret History of Audrey James, Woman with the Blue Star, The Book of Lost Names, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The German Girl, and The Dutch Wife, confronting questions about the stories we tell about our lives and whether buried secrets should stay buried.