ABOUT
THE BOOK

A soldier on the Russian Front marries a photograph of a woman he has never met. Hundreds of miles away in Berlin, the woman marries a photograph of the soldier. It is a contract of business rather than love. When the newlywed strangers finally meet, however, passion blossoms and they begin to imagine a life together under the bright promise of Nazi Germany. But as the tide of war turns and Allied enemies come ever closer, the couple find themselves facing the terrible consequences of being ordinary people stained with their small share of an extraordinary guilt…

Librarian’s Comments

This war novel depicts with boldness the everyday life, attitude and beliefs of an ordinary German family during WWII. Although depicted from the German perspective, the themes and the force of the historical events affecting the lives of small people during wars are universal.