Bamber Character Analysis in Sarah’s Key

Julia’s coworker, a photojournalist. Bamber is British and has a good sense of humor. With Julia, Bamber visits the sites of the Drancy and Beaune-la-Rolande camps and photographs them for Julia’s article. Bamber’s Britishness makes him particularly keen at pointing out the failures of the French government to adequately acknowledge France’s role in the roundup and the Holocaust more generally.

Bamber Quotes in Sarah’s Key

The Sarah’s Key quotes below are all either spoken by Bamber or refer to Bamber. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the St. Martin’s Press edition of Sarah’s Key published in 2008.

We wandered around the small, plain room, gazing at photographs, articles, maps. There were some yellow stars, placed behind a glass panel. It was the first time I saw a real one. I felt impressed and sickened.

Related Characters: (speaker),

Related Symbols:

Page Number and Citation: 134

Explanation and Analysis:

There were several names and dates on the side of the tombstone. I leaned forward for a closer look. Children. Barely two or three years old. Children who had died at the camp, in July and August 1942. Vel’ d’Hiv’ children.
I had always been acutely aware that everything I had read about the roundup was true. And yet, on that hot spring day, as I stood looking at the grave, it hit me. The whole reality of it hit me.
And I knew that I would no longer rest, no longer be at peace, until I found out precisely what had become of Sarah Starzynski.

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Page Number and Citation: 143-144

Explanation and Analysis:

Bamber Character Timeline in Sarah’s Key

The timeline below shows where the character Bamber appears in Sarah’s Key. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Together with her photojournalist colleague, Bamber, Julia visits the rue Nélaton in Paris—the site of the Vélodrome d’Hiver prior to its... (full context)

Julia and Bamber meet with the woman referred to them by the waiter. She was thirty-five at the... (full context)

In the afternoon, Julia meets Bamber so they can visit Beaune-la-Rolande together. Bamber asks if Julia is okay and she realizes... (full context)

Julia and Bamber arrive in Beaune-la-Rolande and tour the town and train station, which has been converted into... (full context)

Julia and Bamber visit the cemetery at Beaune-la-Rolande. Seeing the graves of children makes Julia determined to uncover... (full context)