Daughter of the Reich by Louise FeinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
When this book came out in 2020, author Louse Fein doubtless did not anticipate the massive rise in antisemitism that has swept much of the world since the Hamas slaughter of Israelis on October 7, 2023, and the Israeli government’s deadly retaliation in Gaza since then. Now more than ever, it is important that we all try to understand politics, racism and war from the others’ point of view. In Daughter of the Reich we watch young Hetty Heinrich, daughter of a Nazi officer, transition from total support of the Nazi ideology in which she has been raised to questioning and ultimately rejecting it.
Hetty’s childhood seemed idyllic in many ways: she was young enough not to wonder why her family was suddenly able to move into such a large, lovely house, nor to question the common wisdom surrounding her that Jews are a scourge. Those beliefs are put to the test when she discovers that her older brother’s former friend, Walter, on whom she’s had a crush since he saved her from drowning when she was a child, is Jewish. This knowledge comes when she reconnects with Walter just as she hits the typical age of teenage rebellion. She and Walter embark on a dangerous romance, with lifelong consequences.
Fein, who spoke at the recent Historical Novel Society Conference in Ireland, says she originally tried to tell the story from a Jewish perspective, but that didn’t work. I’m so glad she changed her approach. Although few people dare to challenge leadership cults in power nor the conventional wisdom of their peers, some do. What makes them different? Love, friendship, or simply bloody-minded determination to do what you believe is right even in the face of social approbation and physical risks? All can lead a few brave souls to resist. Reading novels like this makes you wonder: would I have the courage to fight back? What would I be willing to risk? In these troubling times, I hope more people have the courage to stand up to abuses of power, racial discrimination and demonization of immigrants. Otherwise, I fear we are headed into a repeat of they type of scenarios found in this book, and repeatedly throughout human history.
I recommend the novel for adults and teenagers.
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