THE GERMAN HOUSE
Annette Hess, trans. Elisabeth Lauffer (HarperCollins)
A tale of lies, love and deception, Annette Hess’s internationally bestselling novel is set over the course of the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials of 1963. The story follows Eva, who is looking to settle down with a suitor, until she is called to work as a translator during a trial. The Frankfurt Trials reveal many wartime secrets, including some relating to Eva’s own family, which were perhaps better left undiscovered. The narrative switches between the past to the present, and at times felt slightly disjointed, and might’ve been avoided had the book been structured differently. But overall, this is a comprehensive translation full of character, and a novel with a politically charged backdrop and illustrating the impact this time in history continues to have over people’s lives decades later. RH