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A review by maree_k
The Beast's Garden by Kate Forsyth
4.0
Historical romance is not a genre I dip into often (I lack the romance gene) but The Beast's Garden is a well-researched, superbly written story that had me hooked from the first pages. There have been many novels written about Nazi Germany during the WWII period and each time I read one I find new aspects about this horrendous period in history. Reading this novel at this particular point in history, where in Australia our government (with the support of the main opposition party) is locking up thousands of asylum seekers - men, women and children - in offshore detention camps where they are subjected to daily humiliation and trauma is particularly distressing.
About three-quarters way through this novel, one of the characters says something that really hit home for me:
"We allowed this evil to take root in our soil, and we fed it the blood that allowed it to flourish. We shut our eyes to the dreadful flowering. We must take responsibility for that.'
Novels about the Nazi period take on an extra resonance in this period of world history. Things are shifting. Some frightening statements are being made by political figures both in Australia and other western nations. That's exactly why books like The Beast's Garden are so important because they show the light and shade, the human fears, frailties and hopes that make up so many of the small decisions we make, the things we choose to believe or ignore because they think it makes us safer. This is a book that helps open up the reasons why people make the choices they do, and in turn can help us see our world, as it is now, with clearer eyes.
A fantastic read. Highly recommended.
About three-quarters way through this novel, one of the characters says something that really hit home for me:
"We allowed this evil to take root in our soil, and we fed it the blood that allowed it to flourish. We shut our eyes to the dreadful flowering. We must take responsibility for that.'
Novels about the Nazi period take on an extra resonance in this period of world history. Things are shifting. Some frightening statements are being made by political figures both in Australia and other western nations. That's exactly why books like The Beast's Garden are so important because they show the light and shade, the human fears, frailties and hopes that make up so many of the small decisions we make, the things we choose to believe or ignore because they think it makes us safer. This is a book that helps open up the reasons why people make the choices they do, and in turn can help us see our world, as it is now, with clearer eyes.
A fantastic read. Highly recommended.