A review by jess_mango
The Vanishing Sky by L. Annette Binder

3.0

There are a ton of World War II historical fiction novels out there and I've read quite a few myself. The Vanishing Sky is another novel set during WWII except this one is told from the perspective of a German family, the Hubers. The family is comprised of Etta & Josef and their sons Max and Georg. It's 1945 and Max has returned home from the front. He is quiet and off from his normal behavior. He spends a lot of time walking by himself through town and hanging out in the cemetery. He talks about bones a lot and how he had to collect bones. Meanwhile, younger son Georg, who had been at a Hitler Youth academy is sent out into the field with a troop of young soldiers. At one point, while in a transport vehicle and the rest of his group is sleeping, Georg jumps from the vehicle and begins the long journey towards home.

This novel is heart-wrenching. It shows the impact of WWII from a perspective we don't often see. You can feel Etta's worry for her family, in particular, Max. There is a lot of despair in this novel, which is what one would expect from a story of young soldiers who had seen battle. Including the whole family in the story added impact. I didn't quite connect with any of these characters as much as I'd hoped. I found myself putting it down to clear my brain.

Thank you to the publisher for a review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.