I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would - historical fiction is not really my bag, but I found this to be very engaging.
It's the story of Friedrich and Stella (or maybe Kristen?) and at its core, it's a study of people and what we do and how others affect us. Friedrich is Swiss and decides to go to Berlin in 1942. He admires the Germans from afar, feels they are strong and noble and wants to learn how to be those things...or at least he thinks he does. He meets Stella, is instantly smitten and through their relationship is shown up close what (some) Germans are like. Stella is enigmatic and introduces him to the illicit side of living in a country at war under Nazi leadership. although this is a work of fiction, some of the characters are real and there is a thread of non-fiction running through the book that is heartrending.
What I found very compelling about this book is that it doesn't attempt to explain the actions and feelings of the characters, it simply shares them with the reader. Everything isn't tied up in a neat bow at the end, and that realism was refreshing to me as a reader. People are complex and the mind and heart work in ways that we don't understand and can't explain to others - this book captures that perfectly.
It's the story of Friedrich and Stella (or maybe Kristen?) and at its core, it's a study of people and what we do and how others affect us. Friedrich is Swiss and decides to go to Berlin in 1942. He admires the Germans from afar, feels they are strong and noble and wants to learn how to be those things...or at least he thinks he does. He meets Stella, is instantly smitten and through their relationship is shown up close what (some) Germans are like. Stella is enigmatic and introduces him to the illicit side of living in a country at war under Nazi leadership. although this is a work of fiction, some of the characters are real and there is a thread of non-fiction running through the book that is heartrending.
What I found very compelling about this book is that it doesn't attempt to explain the actions and feelings of the characters, it simply shares them with the reader. Everything isn't tied up in a neat bow at the end, and that realism was refreshing to me as a reader. People are complex and the mind and heart work in ways that we don't understand and can't explain to others - this book captures that perfectly.