Publisher: Harper Collins Canada, June 28th, 2022

Format: paperback

Pages: 464

Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

“Skillfully researched and powerfully written, The German Wife will capture you from the first page.” —Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London

The New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan returns with a gripping novel inspired by the true story of Operation Paperclip: a controversial secret US intelligence program that employed former Nazis after WWII.

Berlin, Germany, 1930—When the Nazis rise to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes and her academic husband benefit from the military ambitions of Germany’s newly elected chancellor when Jürgen is offered a high-level position in their burgeoning rocket program. Although they fiercely oppose Hitler’s radical views, and joining his ranks is unthinkable, it soon becomes clear that if Jürgen does not accept the job, their income will be taken away. Then their children. And then their lives.

Huntsville, Alabama, 1950—Twenty years later, Jürgen is one of many German scientists pardoned and granted a position in America’s space program. For Sofie, this is a chance to leave the horrors of her past behind. But when rumors about the Rhodes family’s affiliation with the Nazi party spread among her new American neighbors, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results tears apart a family and leaves the community wondering—is it an act of vengeance or justice?

“An unforgettable novel that explores important questions highly relevant to the world today.” —Christine Wells, author of Sisters of the Resistance

My Review:

Thank you @harpercollinsca for the copy of this book.
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This book looks at two perspectives. A German wife and an American wife. Sofie and her family experience the horrors of Nazi Germany. This perspective shows the indoctrination of Nazi ideology and the horrors that people experienced. Sofie and her family commit some horrendous acts, but claiming to have done so in order to protect their family because they had no choice. Then there is Lizzie, who’s family lost their farm during the Great Depression and her brother came back from WW2 with PTSD. When Sofie, her family, and other German families move to her town to work on a space program, Lizzie and others are hateful towards the German families.
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This is a hard book to review as the subject matter can be quite controversial and I don’t want to take away from the horrors and experiences of others. What I think the author is trying to do is question morality and the actions one will do to protect family. Overall the book kept me engaged and I wanted to keep reading to see how it would end.
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CW: war, death, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, concentration camps, racism, suicide, PTSD.