The German House takes place in 1963 in Germany. The main character Eva, is serving as an interpreter for the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials. Historical fiction is my favorite genre and I have read a good amount of WW2 novels. I'm ashamed to say, however, that I wasn't familiar with the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials before reading the German House. I think what makes this book so special is that it shines light on a period of history that like me, not many people know about. It really provides a complex and realistic look at the emotional atmosphere of the German people during this time. I wasn't prepared for the outright denial and racism that was still so prevalent. Like Eva, I was naive. The author compels the reader to address some tough questions regarding guilt, evil, and deniability. How can you trust/love someone who stood by and did nothing in the face of so much evil and inhumanity? Is denial a legitimate/plausible defense? So many German citizens claim to not have known what was happening at the camps or told themselves there was nothing they could do. Eva's anger during the trials is palpable as is the pain and loss of the survivors. The trials have turned her life upside down, and she is now forced to confront her past, her family's past, and her country's past. This novel takes Eva on a journey of self discovery, at the end she must decide what or who she can and cannot live with.