As seen in the New York Times Book Review.
A December 2019 Indie Next Pick!
Set against the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials of 1963, Annette Hess’s international bestseller is a harrowing yet ultimately uplifting coming-of-age story about a young female translator—caught between societal and familial expectations and her unique ability to speak truth to power—as she fights to expose the dark … familial expectations and her unique ability to speak truth to power—as she fights to expose the dark truths of her nation’s past.
If everything your family told you was a lie, how far would you go to uncover the truth?
For twenty-four-year-old Eva Bruhns, World War II is a foggy childhood memory. At the war’s end, Frankfurt was a smoldering ruin, severely damaged by the Allied bombings. But that was two decades ago. Now it is 1963, and the city’s streets, once cratered are smooth and paved. Shiny new stores replace scorched rubble. Eager for her wealthy suitor, Jürgen Schoormann, to propose, Eva dreams of starting a new life away from her parents and sister. But Eva’s plans are turned upside down when a fiery investigator, David Miller, hires her as a translator for a war crimes trial.
As she becomes more deeply involved in the Frankfurt Trials, Eva begins to question her family’s silence on the war and her future. Why do her parents refuse to talk about what happened? What are they hiding? Does she really love Jürgen and will she be happy as a housewife? Though it means going against the wishes of her family and her lover, Eva, propelled by her own conscience , joins a team of fiery prosecutors determined to bring the Nazis to justice—a decision that will help change the present and the past of her nation.
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Eva’s life is coming together. She has a good job helping translate documents and other court needed things, she has a man she has been seeing and is hoping for a proposal. She can soon get out from her parents house, and helping with their restaurant. She is ready to start her own life.
She get’s offered a very interesting position, to help translate testimony during an upcoming trial. This trial is for those who are being accused of committing terrible war crimes during WWII. She is excited by the concept of taking this on, but when she brings this new position up to her family and boyfriend they are all against her doing it. She doesn’t understand why? She is just translating testimony, what is the worse that can happen?
Her boyfriend proposes but upon agreement that Eva quits this position. She doesn’t need to work, he makes plenty of money with the family business after all and his wife should be home to have kids. Her parents are really also pushing her to leave the job and start a family and every time she tries to bring it up, her parents shut down and change the subject.
There’s something lurking in the past, and Eva can’t let it go. The trails start and Eva quickly learns that atrocities that happened, and she now is the one to make sure she is translating correctly, and exactly what is being said no matter how horrendous the event that happened. As she translates, she has these vivid memories that start coming to the surface.
Then one day, one of the witnesses and his wife comes into her parents restaurant and there is scorn and anger shown to her mother. The man and his wife then quickly leave the place and no matter how hard Eva tries to pry her parents make some excuse as to why they left just seconds after. But Eva knows there’s more to it. He acted like he recognized her mother.
One day, Eva decides she needs to find out for herself since everyone is still against her doing these trials. She finds the list she is looking for and it is written there in black and white. Then a few days later, a witness is called to the stand that changes the truth that Eva thought she knew and these vivid memories are accurate and did happen after all.
A very good read! I have not read much about trials and things happening after WWII, so it was interesting to read about these trials. I also really enjoyed how the author twisted all the characters together, including Eva’s involvement career and personally.
Thank you to Goodreads, HarperVia and the author for the arc I won!
This book was a lot. It was only 325 pages, but it felt like so much more! I initially thought it would be a quick, read in one sitting read, and then I realized yes, that’s how it should be read. Because if you don’t read this in one sitting, or end at one of the parts, you’ll have no idea what’s going on or where you ended.
Wins:
-it’s a side of WW2 that I have never heard talked about, I liked the fact that it was 20 years later and during the trials
-character progression: just with Eva. Throughout the trial she begins to find things out and is changed as a person
-the foreshadowing into the blindside shock. The twists were pretty good. Didn’t expect some of them
Opportunities:
-BREAK IT UP. There were literally paragraphs that went on for 3 pages, single paragraphs, where the dialogue wasn’t broken up into different sections, the paragraphs went on forever, over explained and took what felt like hours to get through
-no chapters. This goes with the above. It felt like if I needed to take my dog out, or get a drink, there were no stopping points for 50 pages, and then coming back it would take me 5 minutes to figure out where I left off
-the random switching povs with no break, spaces, paragraph changes, just BOOM, we’re following someone else.
-the romance was awful. I hate Jürgen. I think he’s an awful character, and their entire relationship was one muddy mess that I had no idea what was going on. It was super confusing, and he was a VERY unlikeable character.
-the pointless additions. We kept flashing back to completely irrelevant other sides to the story that just felt like glue trying to form some kind of plot, which leads me to:
-what was the plot?
I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought i would. I claimed it with points on Bookish First because I was that excited, and I’m super disappointed. It was honestly an exhausting read, and not due to World War 2 content, because I felt like if I took any breaks in this book after putting it down the first time, I wasn’t going to pick it back up. All the characters were kind of annoying, there really wasn’t a plot, and there was a lot of garbage trying to make it a full length novel. The trials were actually really interesting to read about, but those were almost skimmed over. I probably will not be picking this up in the near future.
Listened to audible book ver
Very abrupt ending. Unclear transitions interfered with flow of the story.
Set during the WWII war trials, it is an excellent view of how people viewed their lives and situations after the war. It moved a little slow, but the characters had a full gambit of reactions to post war life. It was a different take on the normal “after the war” in Europe books.
Very informative view of how in the aftermath of war and Nazi atrocities the next generation of Germans viewed the actions of their parents.
I found this book entertaining and thought provoking. I’m saturated with holocaust books and have been avoiding them, but this one is different. It was interesting to examine the mind set of post World War II Germans. I have often pondered what I would have done when the choice was to support Hitler’s fascist regime or to jeopardize my life and my family. This is also a good story with well developed characters.
This informative novel reflects a different slant from many WWII books out there today. The story is set in Frankfurt in 1963 during the Frankfurt trials of Nazis involved in the events of wartime Auschwitz. It shows Germany’s reluctance to dredge up the past and addresses the collective guilt, denial, and amnesia many citizens cope with. The main characters are well-drawn and realistic.
A thought-provoking book.
Well, I loved this quite extraordinary book. I read in bed in the evening: I found myself going to bed earlier and earlier to get back to this compelling, absorbing story. It really is an immersive read – a brilliant way to spell out/ram home the horrors of the holocaust without making us look directly at it. I thought the story-line was really skillful. It was clearly a translation, some of it was clunky, but I found this made the book even more beautiful – I felt like I was absorbed into German/Germany – fantastic – I don’t know much about the methods of translation or if it was intentional but the result, for me, really was perfect. Bravo to the writer (and the translator) – I understand Annette Hess writes TV drama, I’d love to see them here in the UK, and of course, The German House would make a truly awesome film.
In 1963 in Frankfurt, Germany, Eva Bruhns is a bright, 24-year-old woman eager for her future to start while living with her parents, sister, and little brother. The destruction of World War II is in the past now that the city, including her parents’ restaurant, is rebuilt. Eva helps her parents at their restaurant, The German House, in between her work as a Polish translator and dates with her suitor, the wealthy son of a businessman, Jürgen Schoormann. However, Eva’s neatly planned future becomes muddled when investigator David Miller hires her as a translator for a war crimes trial.
As Eva struggles with her family’s and suitor’s expectations, she becomes increasingly invested in the Frankfurt Trials against SS officers at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Her new job brings past horrors to the forefront as Eva confronts the truth of her nation’s and her own past. The vague memories of her childhood bring Eva closer to the trial as it progresses. She must make a choice to uncover the atrocities in the past or to become the woman and the wife she is expected to be.
Annette Hess’ The German House is a story that shows the atrocities committed by the Nazis through the eyes of a young German woman who must reconcile her own identity with the actions of her nation. This novel deals with the difficulty of speaking the truth and the complex relationships between a maturing woman and her family.
Thank you @harperviabooks and @bookishfirst for the uncorrected proof copy.
The German House is set during the Auschwitz Trials of 1963 and tells the story Eva Bruhns, who is a translator for the trial against several Nazi war criminals during their time at Auschwitz. Eva had a vague awareness of what happened which became an awakening during the trial. She begins having faint recollections and isn’t sure how or why she would be remembering these small details. She learns more about her family’s involvement through the trials.
Eva’s parents and her boyfriend are against her working as a translator for the trial. Her parents, Edith and Ludwig, own a restaurant named The German House and the family live above the restaurant. Her family also consists of her sister, Annegret, who is a nurse in the newborn unit at the local hospital, and Stefan, her younger brother. Her boyfriend, Jürgen, is the son of a wealthy businessman.
One thing I noticed about the book and it took me some to adjust to is that you would be following the story of one character and then seemingly without any separation, you’re following another character. Since this was an uncorrected proof and translated from German, I’m not sure it was fixed before publication.
“For twenty-four-year-old Eva Bruhns, World War II is a foggy childhood memory. At the war’s end, Frankfurt was a smoldering ruin, severely damaged by the Allied bombings. But that was two decades ago. Now it is 1963, and the city’s streets, once cratered are smooth and paved. Shiny new stores replace scorched rubble. Eager for her wealthy suitor, Jürgen Schoormann, to propose, Eva dreams of starting a new life away from her parents and sister. But Eva’s plans are turned upside down when a fiery investigator, David Miller, hires her as a translator for a war crimes trial.”
Historical fiction is not my usual genre but the blurb was intriguing and I loved it! This is a debut book for Annette Hess, her writing is descriptive making the reader feel part of the scene, her characters are well developed and are likeable. Eva has heart and it was touching to see her transform from a young adult living with her parents to a mature adult living on her own. She is guided by the effects from the trial, to seek answers, and find closure.
I was provided an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, Harper Collins, through Netgalley.
4.5 stars. World War II novels are typically set during the war, so I was intrigued when I came across The German House which is set about twenty years after the war in Germany. The focus of the book is the 1963 Auschwitz Trials in Frankfurt. Eva begins to translate for the trial and quickly becomes torn between her family, the expectations society has placed on her, and the ever increasing guilt she has for her nation’s actions.
I quickly became immersed in this novel, set on the verge of a changing era. Eva feels torn between the life she loves with her family and the life–with all its new and exciting possibilities–that she is drawn to beyond the safety of her home. This is a character driven novel, and they are flawed characters, which I always appreciate. They don’t necessarily make the choices I would want them to make, but they reflect the realities of life.
It took me much longer to read this novel than it should have, but only because life got in the way. I was eager to pick it up and would have preferred to read it in a few longer spells than short spurts because it is so very immersive.
Witnessing the trial through Eva’s eyes was daunting and emotional, but a reminder that even through the worst, most unimaginable atrocities, the human spirit prevails.
The German House by Annette Hess and translated by Elisabeth Lauffer is a complex, fascinating, thought-provoking historical fiction with a bit of mystery mixed in. This book is definitely not an easy read in regards to the heavy subject matter, but it was breathtaking, and I was able to devour it in 2 days.
This book mainly features Eva Bruhns, a 24 year old German living with her parents and siblings in a house/restaurant literally called The German House in Frankfurt, Germany. It mainly takes place during the 1960s with the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials. Eva becomes entwined into the trials by being hired as a translator for the Polish speaking witnesses for the Prosecution.
This book delves into the human psyche in so many ways, that it is even difficult to explain in that I do not want to give any of the spoilers or twists, and also not to do it justice.
I loved being able to get into the heads of not just Eva, but Edith (her mom), Jurgen (her s/o/fiancé), David, Ludwig (her father), and her sister Annegret (whom honestly I was not a fan of at all and am glad she received her own justice).
To have a front row seat at the Frankfurt trials was fascinating, as well as devastating. To hear more of the torture and shear horror that the witnesses had to testify to, hurt even now after knowing about the atrocities that occurred at Auschwitz-Birkenau for all my life. Every “new” story I hear, just digs the knife deeper about what was done to our people (the Jewish people), as well as many others.
It was interesting to hear the German people’s “side” and thoughts concerning the trial and the subject matter, as well as the social and political climate there at that time.
To say that this is a coming of age story by itself is not enough. This story sheds a light on what pure evil can be and look like, what hit humanity has taken, a story of overcoming the literal worst to become a survivor, and to find and define oneself despite social expectations, customs, and the fact that you cannot pick your family, nor do you have to agree and accept your family.
I enjoyed Eva and liked her character. She is flawed, yet strong, and intelligent. She has a mind of her own and deep down wants to do the right thing, and does her best to achieve that. And while the ending was sad over all, I also enjoyed certain parts of the ending that did leave the reader with an overall positive image for Eva and her future life, one cannot delude the reader into thinking that everything will be all right and that everything is black and white, because it just isn’t. And for the sake of the Bruhns family characters specifically (and not the outcome of the Frankfurt trials because that is another story all together) that is enough and ok.
5/5 stars A must read.
My favorite genre is WWII historical fiction. I really thought The German House would be interesting as it was about the 1963 Frankfurt Auschwitz trials. The main character Eva is 24 and too young to remember details of WWII. She worked as a translator and was asked to translate for the Polish witnesses. There are side plots that do not make sense especially her sister who is a nurse who is giving babies some type of poison…her fiancé who wants Eva to conform to all his wishes.
I struggled reading this book. First, there are no chapters and paragraphs were so long without some sort of break, it was hard to tell when the narrator changed. I was glad to see the book end, but I felt nothing was resolved. Thank you Bookish First, NetGalley, and Harper Via for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you in advance to Bookish First and Harper Via for the ARC to review. A positive review was not required and all words are my own.
Deciding to broaden my literary tastes, and try new genres, one such fascinating period is World War II. And, having read previous World War II/Nazi/Concentration Camp books, such as “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”, “Cilka’s Journey”, “The Lilac Girls” – “The German House” provided a different perspective. I claimed it with points through BookishFirst and eagerly awaited its arrival.
First off – this book does not have chapters, unless in the final edit they add them. Right now, from what I am reading – there are no chapters. The book is told in third person POV over four parts. This seems to be a common complaint among some reviewers. And, is one of my BIG ones.
Taking place in 1963, during the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials, 24 year old Eva Bruhns finds herself as a translator during the trial. Her parents own, manage, and operate a restaurant called “The German House”.
At first Eva is reluctant to take on the task. Shesoon finds herself in the middle of the trial unable to walk away. She’s also engaged to Jürgen Schoormann, a wealthy businessman who doesn’t want Eva involved and goes to great lengths to prevent her involvement. Those closest to her tell her the atrocities were lies because there was a general disbelief they could happen. But, as she learns more, she wants to see the trials through to justice in post World War II Germany.
She also learns about her family’s own involvement at Auschwitz and is disturbed by it.
What starts off as a promising story – Germany’s reluctance to hold themselves accountable for the Holocaust – this novel falls flat in the delivery. Extremely flat. Either it is the author or the novel was badly translated since it was originally published in Germany. Most of the story centers more on Eva’s personal life – with Jürgen and/or her own family, along with the day-to-day operation of the restaurant. The relationship between Eva and Jürgen was flat and shallow. After her “enlightening” I couldn’t see what she saw in him.
Another plot in this book involves Eva’s sister Annegret, a nurse at a local hospital, who works in the labor and delivery department. The story line involving her is unneeded and very disturbing since it was of a criminal nature. I didn’t see what the point was in having it in there as it didn’t connect, in my opinion, to the theme of the book. It felt disjointed and out of place.
Also interesting was the story line involving one of the prosecutors, a Jewish man by the name of David Miller. His story line “end” is quite disturbing as well and I was left wondering what the point was of that ending. Also, Eva’s interaction with one of the camp’s “residents” at the end of the book was perplexing and left me again asking “why”. It was refreshing to see she was the only character with progression in that she had been changed by the trials.
I wasn’t sure what to make of the ending and how Eva’s family’s involvement played into all of it. The title of the novel had, to me, nothing to do with the plot line. It was simply the name of the restaurant.
I was surprised and not surprised to see the lack of outrage over what happened during the reign of the Nazi regime.
Yes, this is an uncorrected “proof” (ARC, Galley), but the choppy writing in this novel made it a bit hard to follow. There is a lack of proper scene transition going from one scene to another in practically the next sentence. It seems to bounce all over the place without a proper segue. At times it seemed to ramble on, almost incoherently. Again, I don’t know if that is the writing or the translation. It made it difficult to take a break from the book then come back to it.
The attempt to show that lack of outrage as well as the “let’s just move on” point of view was admirable. I do credit the writer for attempting to present the point of view she tried to.
I honestly hate giving books bad reviews. I know how I’d feel if I brought something to life only to have it decimated by someone who didn’t appreciate what was put into it.
However, since honesty counts – and, I’ve found a few similar reviews – I have to say this was okay, but disappointing. I definitely wouldn’t
If you’re on the fence with this – I recommend getting it from the library first. It is worth a read, if only once to get the other perspective. It’s not one I personally would buy or likely read again.
I was interested to read this book since I wasn’t very familiar with the Auschwitz Trials. Though the trials are a key part of this book, the focus was not on the trials so much as on the way Eva’s participation as a translator changed her relationships with everyone she held dear.
Overall this was an interesting read, but I do have a couple complaints. I couldn’t figure out why a whole storyline was devoted to Eva’s sister. It seemed unrelated and was just strange. I wasn’t a fan of Eva’s love story either. What did she see in Jürgen? They seemed really mismatched, couldn’t communicate well, and in general didn’t seem to enjoy each other’s company. I’m not sure how I felt about the ending, either.
Thank you BookishFirst for the review copy of this book.
A unique take on an exhausted genre!
“‘What did Mommy and Daddy even do?’
‘Nothing.’
How could she explain to her brother just how true that answer was?”
Huge thanks to Bookish and HarperVia Books for an advanced readers copy of Annette Hess’s The German House.
This book stands out amongst other WWII era historical fiction novels in that it follows the aftermath of the war instead of the war itself. Eva is a translator working in the Auschwitz trials in the ’60s which leads her to face her country and family’s horrific past head-on. This book does an excellent job, I think, of capturing Eva’s turmoil as she grapples with her own responsibility and understanding of something that everyone around her wants to quickly forget.
Overall this was a unique read, but it ended in a way that was unfitting to how the rest of the story unfolded.