This books shows the second world war in a different way to anything else I have ever read. There are parts within this book that ae parts of history I had never heard about.
We follow the life of Friedrich who lives in Switzerland with his alcoholic mother and his very wealthy father. In January 1942, he leaves Choulex to begin travelling. His trip starts with a short trip to Berlin for some art lessons before he plans to head on to Istanbul. The idea of this moving to the capital of Germany deep in the war was something really different to me. We always hear of people fleeing to the countryside but this is the exact opposite.
Life in Berlin seems strikingly normal, yes there are restrictions on singing Jewish music etc by Friedrich and his new friends Kristin and Tristan seem to find plenty of (potentially illegal) establishments to frequent. Friedrich uses his fathers wealth to procure things on the black market through his hotel.
As Kristin and Friedrich grow closer, we begin to discover more behind her and Tristan and what they are actually doing to survive the war.
Overall a really incredible story and a beautiful translation.
We follow the life of Friedrich who lives in Switzerland with his alcoholic mother and his very wealthy father. In January 1942, he leaves Choulex to begin travelling. His trip starts with a short trip to Berlin for some art lessons before he plans to head on to Istanbul. The idea of this moving to the capital of Germany deep in the war was something really different to me. We always hear of people fleeing to the countryside but this is the exact opposite.
Life in Berlin seems strikingly normal, yes there are restrictions on singing Jewish music etc by Friedrich and his new friends Kristin and Tristan seem to find plenty of (potentially illegal) establishments to frequent. Friedrich uses his fathers wealth to procure things on the black market through his hotel.
As Kristin and Friedrich grow closer, we begin to discover more behind her and Tristan and what they are actually doing to survive the war.
Overall a really incredible story and a beautiful translation.