Overview
On the eve of WWI, two Berlin sisters find themselves on opposite sides of the war. One falls under the Führer’s spell—the other flees, putting an ocean and decades of silence between them. A child remains their last, secret bond.
Gerda is thirteen when Hitler takes office; her sister Ilse, eleven. While Gerda grows disillusioned by Nazism, Ilse becomes a fervent follower: The Führer’s voice on the radio is like a drug to her. Politics becomes a wedge between them.
At fifteen, Ilse is chosen for Year on the Land—catchphrase Kinder, Küche, Kirche (Children, Kitchen, Church)—a rural indoctrination program designed to boost the Aryan birth rate. There, she falls in love with a boy from a nearby camp and becomes pregnant. When the boy is expelled, Ilse begins to fear consequences.
Meanwhile, Gerda has decided to flee Germany. As she and her husband are boarding a train, Ilse surprises her at the station, handing her a basket through the train window. As the train pulls away, Gerda opens the basket and is shocked to discover—a baby.
Years after the war, Ilse confronts her schoolgirl self, naively caught up in fascism’s false promises, and resolves to track down her sister. What will happen when she finds the daughter she gave away?
Emotionally resonant and deeply relevant, this evocative novel offers a window into the experiences of millions of Germans under Hitler—their indoctrination, resistance, and searing regrets. The German Sisters explores how ordinary lives are transformed by extraordinary times—and whether love can survive our deepest betrayals.
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