If you love historical fiction, don’t miss this one! But these were minor concerns in the midst of a completely absorbing read. And when he uses dialog to supply information, it doesn’t always come across as believable. When a character is relating his or her own deeply personal back story, it should not read as an detached third person account. And, of course, what novel of World War II would be complete without the life-threatening presence of the Gestapo? Eoin DempseyĪs a writer, Dempsey still has some things to learn. And some of the close connections Franka made as a naive teenager return. But the question that becomes central is: How can two strangers create mutual trust in the middle of a savage war? Especially when one is vulnerable and dependent upon the other.Īlong the way, readers witness the impact deprivation, shortages, and suspicions have on everyday life. The plot contains a satisfying number of surprising twists and turns, which I certainly will not give away.

That’s the premise for a 260-page novel that I virtually inhaled over 36 hours (only because I had to sleep). But almost immediately she begins to suspect the airman is not who he seems. At her parents’ remote summer house, a chance encounter with an injured Luftwaffe airman forces Franka, a trained nurse, into the role of caretaker. Franka Gerber, who came of age in the 1930s as a ardent member of the Hitler Youth movement, has now suffered life-altering losses and feels she has little to live for. In 1943, not everyone living in Germany supports the Nazi regime.

I will definitely be looking to read Eoin (pronounced Owen) Dempsey’s other novels. An intensely suspenseful book from an Irish-born American author, set in Germany during World War II.

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