The German Wife by Debbie Rix

 

Inspired by true events, this is a heart-stopping, unforgettable story of ordinary people fighting for survival in the darkest of times. Fans of Orphan Train, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and My Name is Eva will be utterly gripped by this beautiful, tragic World War Two novel.

Germany, 1939: Annaliese is trapped in a loveless marriage. Her husband Hans has become cold and secretive since starting a new job as a doctor at Dachau. Every morning she watches from her kitchen window as he leaves in his car. The sight of him in the dark uniform of the SS sends shivers of fear down her spine and she longs to escape…

When a tall, handsome Russian prisoner named Alexander is sent from Dachau to work in their garden, lonely Annaliese finds herself drawn to him as they tend to the plants together. In snatched moments and broken whispers, Alexander tells her the shocking truth about the camp. Horrified, Annaliese vows to do everything she can to save him.

But as they grow closer, their feelings for each other put their lives at risk. And Annaliese finds herself in grave danger when she dares to fight for love and freedom…

America, 1989: Turning the pages of the newspaper, Annaliese gasps when she recognizes the face of a man she thought she’d never see again. It makes her heart skip a beat as a rush of wartime memories come flooding back to her. As she reads on, she realizes the past is catching up with her. And she must confront a decades-old secret – or risk losing her only son…

What did I think?

Really enjoy books set in this era - and if they are based on real life events then all the better. It is true that there seems to be a proliferation of books set during WW2 just now but I think this one stands out amongst them.

The story drew me in straight away - the fact that it is based on true events makes it all the more heartbreaking I think. Cannot imagine how the main character coped with it.

It is a story of courage and determination set against a backdrop of the horror of the concentration camps. It really brought the horror of this time in history to me - we mean about Covid and its restrictions - but that is nothing compared to this.

Will definitely be reading more by this author.

Debbie Rix has had a long career in journalism, including working as a presenter for the BBC. Her first novel, The Girl with Emerald Eyes was set around the building of the tower of Pisa and she has since released Daughters of the Silk Road and The Silk Weaver’s Wife. Debbie writes heartbreaking historical novels about love, tragedy and secrets.

http://www.debbierix.com/

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https://twitter.com/debbierix

 

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3eY8DIg

 

Audio Links:

UK: https://zpr.io/rnRJutqSL5Yh
US: https://zpr.io/vM8zekifH6C6