A review by fleeno
The German House by Annette Hess

4.0

Eva Bruhns is a young Polish interpreter who is enlisted to translate testimonys for the Frankfurt Auschwitz trial in 1963. Despite the objections of her conventional family and rich, stuffy fiance Jürgen, Eva feels like she needs to help the Polish witnesses. Many people in Eva's life tell her the victims just want money, they are making things sound worse than it was, it just isn't possible that *that* many people were murdered, the trial is a waste of time, and people should just leave the past in the past. However as the trial progresses Eva begins to realise the full extent of her countries evilness during the war and begins to question her families own history. Everyone is keeping secrets and as the story unfolds, the secrets are revealed and Eva is irrevocably changed by what she learns. 

Hesse has captured the tipping point for German society, the increased hope at the improved economic situation, the collective war amnesia that so many wanted to maintain, and how the trial forced people to confront their country's actions and the role they played, no matter how small. After all it is hard to ignore a genocide when it's laid out in front of everyone. While the characters are fictional Hesse has used some real testimonies from the Frankfurt Auschwitz trial, which bring a heaviness to the novel. Although I felt for Eva who is forced to confront her family and history, it also felt uncomfortable. The next generation had to face what their parents and grandparents had done, and shape how they wanted their country to be. Despite the heavy topic I enjoyed the story and the damaged characters, particularly the dysfunctional Bruhns family.