Reviews

A heart-wrenching story, told from the perspective of an SS officer's daughter. The story begins with Hetty being rescued from drowning by Walter, her brother's best friend. The three of them used to spend a lot of time together, until one day Walter stopped going to her house, because Karl, her brother, didn't want to be friends with him anymore. Hetty was only a child, and she didn't understand why her brother wanted to stay away from his best friend.

The truth came suddenly when they were at school, and the new literature teacher asked a girl and Walter to stand in front of the students. He started explaining how to recognize a Jew, telling the rest of the students that sometimes they could get deceived by their appearance, as was the case of Walter. After humiliating them, the teacher expelled them. Hetty couldn't believe that Walter, so kind, so honest, was a Jew, but she knew, deep inside, that what she felt for him would never go away.

The rest of the story is mainly focused after Hetty and Walter meet again. She's almost 16 and he's 18, and the feeling they had for each other turned into love.
I think it's quite interesting and original to read such a story from another perspective. Hetty was raised to be a perfect German citizen, from the Nazi point of view. To hate the Jews, see herself as a member of a superior human race, and to follow all the atrocious Nazi's ideals. Therefore, when she meets Walter again, all this world starts to fall down.

I really liked this book, although it's been hard to read, because it's such a sad story, and worst of all, it was real. All those people, hated because of their blood, mistreated and condemned to the most barbarous and unforgivable acts. How heinous people can be!

Finally, I'd like to highlight the author's words about how “the lessons of the past must never be forgotten” and how mass media can be a way of propaganda, how the word is widely spread and its consequences. It shouldn't be this way. Mass media is supposed to inform in a neutral way, but we all know that's not how it works. Therefore, we must be critics.

I just hope we have truly learned the lesson. It's quite disturbing to see how the thoughts of the extreme and radical right are flourishing again. Please, don't forget all these people running away from wars, trying to find a better place to live and raise their children, and what do they find? Walls.
We must not forget. We are all the same, it doesn't matter where we come from. It's our behaviour, our acts that differenciate us. There's good and bad in all of us, but we can always do the right thing.

Thanks to Aria / Head of Zeus Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

dotr

USA and Canada edition / UK edition

hoovershawna03's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

tessa_stephens's review against another edition

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1.0

Some parts of the book felt like they had no meaning or affect on the overall story. I was just really disappointed with how the story unfolded and how the relationship evolved (which wasn't very much). I'd recommend it if you're interested in 1930s Germany or want a very dramatic (too dramatic at times) book.

Spoilers: The best part of the book for me were the middle bits where Walter and Hetty were together (and arguing over stupid things), but the diary entry's were my least favourite. I hated reading them and felt like it was telling me exactly how hetty felt (which it was), but i wouldn't have cared so much if the last page was written just for her son (which it wasn't!).

kylee901's review against another edition

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5.0

This story takes place in the 1930s in Germany. Hetty and her family move into a large beautiful home in Leipzig. Her father and her family are all in favor of Hitler. Hitler is all about making Germany the best country and for a positive outcome, they are all brainwashed. As time goes on Hetty is starting to see that this isn’t right with what Hitler is doing and she can’t understand why the Jews are being treated this way by the brown shirts. Property is being taken, families are being forced to get rid of their businesses if they are Jewish. If they want to leave the country they have to pay a “tax”. She knows very nice Jewish families, her brother’s best friend Walter being one of them. Walter saved her and isn’t all the bad things that the newspapers are saying about the Jewish.

Eventually Hetty has fallen for Walter and every time they meet in secret and risk being arrested. This young couple is going against all offs as they try to be together during this time where the world is pulling them apart and they could lose everything if caught together. This book is very different from other WWII books I have read. I couldn’t put this book down and will stick with me for the unforeseeable future.

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