Review: The German Wife

Title: The German Wife

Author: Kelly Rimmer

Publisher: 27th April 2022 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 441 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

Inspired by real events, the bestselling author of The Things We Cannot Say and The Warsaw Orphan returns with a gripping novel about two women from opposite sides of WWII, whose enmity culminates in a shocking event as anti-German sentiment sweeps America. An unputdownable novel of a community torn apart when a former Nazi family moves into town to work on NASA’s space program.

Berlin, 1934—Ilse Meyer is the aristocratic wife of a scientist whose post-WWI fortunes change for the better when Ilse’s husband, Jurgen, is recruited for Hitler's new rocket program. Although Ilse and Jurgen do not share the popular political views rising in Germany, Jurgen’s new job forces them to consider what they must sacrifice morally for their financial security. But too late they realize the Nazi’s plans to weaponize Jurgen’s technology as they begin to wage war against the rest of Europe.

Huntsville, Alabama, 1949—Jurgen is one of hundreds of Nazi scientists offered pardons and taken to the US to work for the CIA’s fledgling space program. Ilse, now the mother of four, misses Germany terribly and struggles to fit in among the other NASA wives, who look upon her with suspicion. In a moment of loneliness, she confesses to a neighbor, Rachel Carlson, about Jurgen’s membership in the SS and her resentment for being forced to live in a country that will always see her as the enemy. What she doesn’t know is that she has trusted the wrong neighbor.

When the scandalous news about the Meyer family’s affiliation with the Nazi party spreads, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results will tear apart a community and a family before the truth is finally revealed—but is it murder, revenge or justice?

My Thoughts

‘What kind of a person should try to undermine a family’s new life without even trying to understand their old one?’

Kelly has outdone herself with her latest, The German Wife, producing a powerfully written story that will grab you from page one and linger long after the cover is finally closed. I was just floored not only by this complex and well researched tale but Kelly’s delivery being so breathtaking and confronting.

The German Wife has timelines from Nazi Germany, the debilitating drought and Dust Bowl of Texas in the 1930s and life in post war Alabama.Whether it be the living the terror in the rise of Nazism, the literal and figurative suffocating Depression in Texas of the 1930s or the segregation of Southern life in 1950s USA, Kelly takes you there. What comes out clearly in each locale is that no journey is easy. When freedoms and choices are stripped away, sacrifices will have to be made … but at what cost?

‘This is how polite society gives way to chaos. The collapse that comes at the end of the process is a consequence of the slow erosion over time.’

I was totally enthralled by how cleverly Kelly presented both points of view from the lead characters and how the women carefully considered and played the cards life had dealt them. Whether it be the ensuing terror of living in Nazi Germany or dealing with life on the land during a drought, it provided the necessary backstory of how these experiences helped shape and impact the characters lives at the time and, consequently, for the future. 

“And tell me, madam, what do you do when you go to a restaurant and there is a sign in the window that says Whites Only?” the woman demanded, jabbing her finger toward me aggressively. “Do you ‘do something’? Perhaps you should look into your own backyard before you make sweeping judgments about things you do not understand.”

The story set in Alabama in the 1950s was such an eye opener. I had never heard of the rocket program either in Nazi Germany as a form of weaponisation or post war where the USA brought these same German rocket scientists over to the States to work on the space program. What kind of can of worms was that sure to open! The research Kelly has undertaken was obvious but to weave a story around it so convincingly without information dumps was impressive. Not only did I learn so much (with is always an added bonus) but I found on this occasion Kelly has gone to the next level with not only delivering her usual high standard exceptional storytelling, but added into the mix, controversy. Her final comments in her Author Notes provide testimony to both the fascination and frustration regarding the whole situation. Politics and ethics collide with a fallout demanding either accountability or absolution. Kelly lets you be the judge. 

This is historical fiction at its finest. I found The German Wife to be absolutely phenomenal and cementing Kelly as one of Australia’s finest authors. When a book allows the reader to not assume but assess, to consider then conclude which side you would uphold and support, that is mastery. This is a book that all historical fiction lovers must definitely read.

‘When the story of the war is written, the pages will be full of men saying I was only following orders and the world will know that is fiction. Every single time I opted not to take a stand, I was taking a stand - for the wrong side.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.