A five star read! A powerful impressive novel, well written and meticulously researched.
The German House is a five star read. It is a powerful and impressive novel, well written and meticulously researched.
The story takes place in Frankfurt, Germany in 1963 at the onset of the first Frankfurt Auschwitz trial which charged 22 defendants under German law for crimes committed as SS officials in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Eva is a young and naive woman whose main goal in life is to get her wealthy beau Jurgen to ask her father for her hand in marriage. She lives with her tightly knit family in an apt above The German House, a quaint local restaurant that her parents own and operate. Eve works as a Polish translator for an agency. Her life changes forever when she is tapped to be the translator for the Auschwitz survivors who are to give their heartbreaking testimony against the defendants on trial for their war crimes.
Eva’s family and fiancee, both voice their displeasure at her acceptance of the job. However, she accepts the position. Eva has not even heard of Auschwitz, nor the horrific events that occurred there. As the trial progresses, Eva struggles to cope with the realization of the magnitude of the crimes against humanity committed by the Nazi regime. She cannot believe the general attitude of the populace in economically booming post war Germany which is to suppress the depth of the atrocities which occurred in the concentration camps as well as the reluctance to contend with the reality of the crimes committed. After Eva uncovers painful secrets about her own family during the war period, she makes life changing decisions in order to remain true to herself and her own conscience.
The story takes place in Frankfurt, Germany in 1963 at the onset of the first Frankfurt Auschwitz trial which charged 22 defendants under German law for crimes committed as SS officials in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Eva is a young and naive woman whose main goal in life is to get her wealthy beau Jurgen to ask her father for her hand in marriage. She lives with her tightly knit family in an apt above The German House, a quaint local restaurant that her parents own and operate. Eve works as a Polish translator for an agency. Her life changes forever when she is tapped to be the translator for the Auschwitz survivors who are to give their heartbreaking testimony against the defendants on trial for their war crimes.
Eva’s family and fiancee, both voice their displeasure at her acceptance of the job. However, she accepts the position. Eva has not even heard of Auschwitz, nor the horrific events that occurred there. As the trial progresses, Eva struggles to cope with the realization of the magnitude of the crimes against humanity committed by the Nazi regime. She cannot believe the general attitude of the populace in economically booming post war Germany which is to suppress the depth of the atrocities which occurred in the concentration camps as well as the reluctance to contend with the reality of the crimes committed. After Eva uncovers painful secrets about her own family during the war period, she makes life changing decisions in order to remain true to herself and her own conscience.