The German House

by Annette Hess
Nina Franoszek

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Set against the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials of 1963, Annette Hess's international bestseller is a harrowing yet ultimately uplifting coming-of-age story about a young female translator—caught between societal and familial expectations and her unique ability to speak truth to power—as she fights to expose the dark truths of her nation's past.

If everything your family told you was a lie, how far would you go to uncover the truth?

For twenty-four-year-old Eva Bruhns, World War II is a foggy childhood memory. At the war's end, Frankfurt was a smoldering ruin, severely damaged by the Allied bombings. But that was two decades ago. Now it is 1963, and the city's streets, once cratered are smooth and paved. Shiny new stores replace scorched rubble. Eager for her wealthy suitor, Jürgen Schoormann, to propose, Eva dreams of starting a new life away from her parents and sister. But Eva's plans are turned upside down when a fiery investigator, David Miller, hires her as a translator for a war crimes trial.

As she becomes more deeply involved in the Frankfurt Trials, Eva begins to question her family's silence on the war and her future. Why do her parents refuse to talk about what happened? What are they hiding? Does she really love Jürgen and will she be happy as a housewife? Though it means going against the wishes of her family and her lover, Eva, propelled by her own conscience , joins a team of fiery prosecutors determined to bring the Nazis to justice—a decision that will help change the present and the past of her nation.

Creators
- Annette Hess
  
  Author
- Nina Franoszek
  
  Narrator
Publisher

HarperAudio

Edition: Unabridged
Release date

December 3, 2019
Formats
- OverDrive Listen audiobook
  - ISBN: 9780062960252
  - File size: 314046 KB
  - Duration: 10:54:15
Languages
- English
Reviews
- Publisher's Weekly
  
  September 30, 2019
  Hess’s strong debut follows Eva Bruhns, who works as an interpreter at the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials in 1963 Germany, in which German defendants have been charged with crimes they perpetrated at Auschwitz during WWII. Eva becomes emotionally invested as she interprets the testimonies of Polish witnesses from Polish to German, but she doesn’t understand why her parents, Edith and Ludwig, owners of the German House restaurant, don’t seem to care about the trial. As Eva continues her work and makes a trip to Auschwitz along with other members of the trial team, she uncovers secrets her parents have hidden from her about her father’s work during the war. The period detail is impressive, but the highlight is Eva, a complex and thoughtful woman who finds herself in the midst of a significant moment in history. This novel will appeal to both WWII fiction fans and those seeking historical novels anchored by a strong, memorable heroine.
- Library Journal
  
  December 1, 2019
  DEBUT In 1963 Frankfurt, Germany, 24-year-old Eva Bruhns is hired by David Miller, a Canadian investigator, as a Polish translator for the Auschwitz war crimes trial. Eva's memories of World War II are distant and vague, and her family refuses to comment on the war as she becomes more concerned with bringing justice to the accused. Her parents run a well-known family business, the German House Inn and restaurant. Eva's fiancé, Jürgen, attempts to keep her away from the trials, for the sake of her nerves and her position as his future wife. When Eva uncovers a shocking secret about her family's past, she bravely pushes back against the expectations set for young women at the time, determined never to forget Germany's dark past. The time line unfolds in alternating points of view from many multilayered characters--Eva, her family members, David, and Jürgen--which may confuse readers. VERDICT Fans of Kate Quinn will enjoy this historical fiction tale for the strong female character and rich details. Recommended for additional purchase, as there are better historical fiction choices.--Laura Jones, Indiana State Lib., Argos
  
  Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
- Kirkus
  
  October 1, 2019
  What is the cost of learning the truth? And who is responsible for telling that costly truth? A prosecutor's exhortation to learn "every conceivable" Polish word for "how to kill a person" is an early signal to a naïve German interpreter, called in 1963 to translate at the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials, that she will soon confront truths about the past never before revealed. Eva Bruhns, a young woman still living with her parents--the proprietors of the eponymous German House restaurant--looks forward to a betrothal to Jürgen Schoormann, her reserved boyfriend, and routinely works as a Polish-language interpreter in mundane contract matters and business disputes. Her sister, Annegret, works as a pediatric nurse while younger brother Stefan dotes on the family's black dachshund. The Bruhns are a thoroughly average family. Eva's growing awareness of the atrocities perpetrated by the Auschwitz defendants, coupled with a vague sense of déjà vu, jolts her out of complacency and ignorance about the role the average German citizen played during the war. Eva's increasing passion to secure justice for the victims of Auschwitz, whose stories she absorbs daily, contrasts vividly with the attitudes and actions of her neighbors (and family members), whose desire to leave the past behind is clear. Hess, a popular television screenwriter in Germany, delivers scenes and dialogue in a linear sequence, and it is easy to envision almost any of the scenes (courtroom or dining room) on screen via the straightforward translation by Lauffer. Less linear are the continuing deceptions Eva confronts on an average day, in an average life, in an average city. Questions of complicity and culpability are resolved by prosecutors and daughters alike in Hess' slow reveal of large truths which are obscured by larger lies.
  COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
- AudioFile Magazine
  
  Finding answers and hope through post-Holocaust fiction is a challenge, yet this gripping audiobook succeeds because of the power of the dialogue as delivered by narrator Nina Franoszek. From the beginning, Annette Hess's novel uses an unusual approach to the 1963 Auschwitz war crimes trials in Frankfurt. The story focuses on Eva Bruhns, a na�ve 24-year-old who accepts a job as a translator at the tribunal. As Eva does her job, she begins to question her own family's conduct during and after the war, and comes into conflict with Jurgen Schoormann, whom she plans to marry. Franoszek captures Eva's emotions with intensity and, at times, a surprisingly realistic tone of wonderment, both of which highlight the questions and anger bottled deep inside Eva. The result is a powerful performance by Franoszek that complements the novel superbly. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
- Booklist
  
  November 1, 2019
  Set in the early- to mid-1960s, when Germany is still struggling with its dark past during WWII, German author Hess' first novel examines the fallout from Hitler's "Final Solution" and asks the ultimate question: Who was responsible? Against her parents' and fiance's wishes, Eva Bruhns offers her translation services to a court case in which former Nazis are being prosecuted. Day after day she witnesses testimony, and silently makes judgments about what occurs. Slowly, early childhood memories begin to assert themselves, and Eva realizes a disturbing discovery about her seemingly respectable family. Meanwhile, readers see that Eva's sister, Annegret, has secrets of her own. Over time, the human capacity for cruelty makes Eva unable to bear the trial any longer. What amount of guilt should a Nazi sympathizer feel when his or her family's life is at stake? Eva breaks away from all that is safe and known and tries to work some recompense on her own. This chapter-less book is organized into four parts and reads somewhat disjointedly, but a translator's note explains why.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)
- Library Journal
  
  December 1, 2019
  DEBUT In 1963 Frankfurt, Germany, 24-year-old Eva Bruhns is hired by David Miller, a Canadian investigator, as a Polish translator for the Auschwitz war crimes trial. Eva's memories of World War II are distant and vague, and her family refuses to comment on the war as she becomes more concerned with bringing justice to the accused. Her parents run a well-known family business, the German House Inn and restaurant. Eva's fianc�, J�rgen, attempts to keep her away from the trials, for the sake of her nerves and her position as his future wife. When Eva uncovers a shocking secret about her family's past, she bravely pushes back against the expectations set for young women at the time, determined never to forget Germany's dark past. The time line unfolds in alternating points of view from many multilayered characters--Eva, her family members, David, and J�rgen--which may confuse readers. VERDICT Fans of Kate Quinn will enjoy this historical fiction tale for the strong female character and rich details. Recommended for additional purchase, as there are better historical fiction choices.--Laura Jones, Indiana State Lib., Argos
  
  Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
- Kirkus
  
  October 1, 2019
  What is the cost of learning the truth? And who is responsible for telling that costly truth? A prosecutor's exhortation to learn "every conceivable" Polish word for "how to kill a person" is an early signal to a na�ve German interpreter, called in 1963 to translate at the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials, that she will soon confront truths about the past never before revealed. Eva Bruhns, a young woman still living with her parents--the proprietors of the eponymous German House restaurant--looks forward to a betrothal to J�rgen Schoormann, her reserved boyfriend, and routinely works as a Polish-language interpreter in mundane contract matters and business disputes. Her sister, Annegret, works as a pediatric nurse while younger brother Stefan dotes on the family's black dachshund. The Bruhns are a thoroughly average family. Eva's growing awareness of the atrocities perpetrated by the Auschwitz defendants, coupled with a vague sense of d�j� vu, jolts her out of complacency and ignorance about the role the average German citizen played during the war. Eva's increasing passion to secure justice for the victims of Auschwitz, whose stories she absorbs daily, contrasts vividly with the attitudes and actions of her neighbors (and family members), whose desire to leave the past behind is clear. Hess, a popular television screenwriter in Germany, delivers scenes and dialogue in a linear sequence, and it is easy to envision almost any of the scenes (courtroom or dining room) on screen via the straightforward translation by Lauffer. Less linear are the continuing deceptions Eva confronts on an average day, in an average life, in an average city. Questions of complicity and culpability are resolved by prosecutors and daughters alike in Hess' slow reveal of large truths which are obscured by larger lies.
  COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.