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chwaters 's review for:
Prisoner of Night and Fog
by Anne Blankman
Gretchen Müller and her family were taken under Adolf Hitler's wing when their father died protecting Hitler from a barrage of bullets during and ill-fated coup attempt. Ever since, he's provided the family with money, employment and a favored status in his household. Gretchen adores him and calls him Uncle Dolf. He treats her as a beloved niece.
Things might have gone on like that had Gretchen not met a young Jewish journalist named Daniel Cohen. Daniel tells Gretchen that he suspects her father's death may have been more murder than martyr. While Gretchen still clings to the antisemitism espoused by Hitler, she begins to wonder if there's more that she hasn't been told. The more she investigates, the more certain she becomes that Daniel may very well be telling the truth. If Daniel is telling the truth, that means that Hitler and the other party elites are not. And if they're lying about the death of Gretchen's father, what other lies might they be telling?
Prisoner of Night and Fog is a fascinating glimpse into a Germany in transition. Historical details are abundant, with characters ripped from history books: Eva Braun, Geli Raubel, various party members, and of course, Hitler himself. Nearly every place and incident mentioned is historically accurate. In fact, it seems that the only fabricated characters are the Müller and Cohen families. Gretchen predictably grows from a character that believes everything she's told to one who questions everything, which is satisfying under the circumstances. Her brother is thoroughly chilling, as is Hitler (even in this more benign, pre-WWII setting). The plot moves at a breakneck pace, making this as much of a thriller as it is historical fiction. I found it to be utterly absorbing and my middle school book club readers did as well. Hand this one to anyone who tries to tell you that historical fiction is boring as this novel is anything but.
Things might have gone on like that had Gretchen not met a young Jewish journalist named Daniel Cohen. Daniel tells Gretchen that he suspects her father's death may have been more murder than martyr. While Gretchen still clings to the antisemitism espoused by Hitler, she begins to wonder if there's more that she hasn't been told. The more she investigates, the more certain she becomes that Daniel may very well be telling the truth. If Daniel is telling the truth, that means that Hitler and the other party elites are not. And if they're lying about the death of Gretchen's father, what other lies might they be telling?
Prisoner of Night and Fog is a fascinating glimpse into a Germany in transition. Historical details are abundant, with characters ripped from history books: Eva Braun, Geli Raubel, various party members, and of course, Hitler himself. Nearly every place and incident mentioned is historically accurate. In fact, it seems that the only fabricated characters are the Müller and Cohen families. Gretchen predictably grows from a character that believes everything she's told to one who questions everything, which is satisfying under the circumstances. Her brother is thoroughly chilling, as is Hitler (even in this more benign, pre-WWII setting). The plot moves at a breakneck pace, making this as much of a thriller as it is historical fiction. I found it to be utterly absorbing and my middle school book club readers did as well. Hand this one to anyone who tries to tell you that historical fiction is boring as this novel is anything but.