Alice Hoffman has always been able to bewitch readers. She’s done it since 1977 in over 30 works of fiction. Her books often feature elements of magic. She deftly blends the material world with the supernatural, always aware of the power of the subconscious. This was true of “Turtle Moon,” “Practical Magic,” “The River King,” “The Probable Future” and others.

In a number of previous interviews, Ms. Hoffman admits to having a single theme: “writing continuously about survivorship.” She is also captivated by the bond between mothers and daughters.

These are subjects and themes she returns to again in the mesmerizing “The World That We Knew.” Using World War II (from 1941-1944) and the Holocaust as the backdrop, the novel is fraught with searing details of the pernicious treatment and persecution of Jews.

Magic and reality are intertwined. There are angels (of darkness and of light), a female golem, and a heron that, like a carrier pigeon, transports messages between several characters. At the core of the novel, however, is a double love story tempered by personal defeats and triumphs.

After Hanni Kohn’s 12-year-old daughter, Lea, is assaulted in a Berlin alley by a German soldier, Hanni vows to save her by sending her away from the besieged city. She enlists the aid of 17-year-old Ettie, a rabbi’s daughter, who agrees to help create a golem (a clay figure from folklore reified by magic) under one condition: Give her train fare for herself and her younger sister, Marta, so they, too, can escape Germany for France. Hanni agrees. She, Ettie and Marta collect the mud that becomes Ava, a female golem whose “single goal” is to protect Lea until she is free.

The novel moves across Europe from Berlin to Paris, with excursions in Vienne, Ardeche, Izieu, to a farmhouse in Haute-Loire and a convent in the Rhone Valley.

In Paris, Lea and Ava are sheltered by distant cousins, the Andre Levi family. There they meet brothers Julien, 14, and Victor, 17, who will change everyone’s lives. They also encounter another character, the young housemaid Marianne, who plays a significant role in the novel and links several story lines together.

The five of them remain resolute in their mission to resist the Germans. They have only one absolute, non-negotiable imperative: stay alive. The cautionary corollary to that is, “Think forward, not back.”

That becomes increasingly more difficult to do as the world that they knew continues to collapse around them. Among the many chapters that detail their challenges, two specific ones stand out.

In July 1942, the Nazi-planned Operation Spring Breeze occurs at the Velodrome d’Hiver in the 15th arrondissement. Over two days, more than 13,000 Jews are rounded up and taken into the cycling stadium. Families are separated, among them the Levis. Andre manages to buy Julien’s freedom by bartering with a gold watch. For Andre, this means saving his son; for Julien, it means a lifelong sense of survivor’s guilt.

For several months in 1942, Lea and Ava find shelter at the convent of the silver roses. It is safe harbor for a number of Jewish girls hidden in the attic until they are betrayed by a village baker. The spectacular history of the roses — given the name la Lumiere-Volee or stolen light — provides a hint of “beauty and knowledge” in an otherwise bleak landscape.

Much of the Jewish population had to rely on the kindness of strangers or organized groups of resistance. This included the OSE (the Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants) whose main goal was to “rescue the next generation.” Lea, Ettie, Marianne, Victor and Julien aspire to contribute in any way they can — even when it involves violence that leads to death.

Ms. Hoffman’s remarkable achievement is her innate ability to balance large events of history with intimate personal stories. This includes unforgettable vignettes of many secondary characters, most notably Marianne’s father and his Beehive House, the mother superior of the convent, and the doctor who comforts Ettie in a way that allows her to commit a dangerous act.

All the characters endure a world where “anything could happen and nothing was impossible.” Fate often exacts its brutal toll as Azriel — the angel of death — hovers. Everyone contends with evil. They learn that in order to “fight what was wicked, magic and faith were needed.”

“The World That We Knew” is constantly imbued with the terrifying atmosphere of impending doom. But it is also suffused with the everlasting hope of survival grounded in the profound desire for enduring love. Ms. Hoffman conjures an alluring novel that lingers long after it’s read.

Robert Allen Papinchak is a former university English professor whose reviews appear in numerous newspapers, magazines and literary journals.

First Published: September 20, 2019, 2:00 p.m.