Alexandra Ford (Seren)
Set against the blustery backdrop of Serbia and the former Yugoslavia, American woman Marie Kohler embarks on a trip that will – hopefully – help her piece together the broken history of her grandparents’ childhood as ethnic Germans (or Danube Swabians) in Yugoslavia under Tito’s Partisan regime. Feeling disconnected from her heritage and grief-stricken about her grandfather’s death, Marie heads to Serbia with David, and attempts to establish her ancestry. The novel also has passages set in 1940s Yugoslavia, connecting the present with the past. Based on her own personal experience of growing up with Swabian grandparents, Alexandra Ford’s debut novel is hard-hitting to say the least. But, with its mix of slick wordplay and meticulous research, the reader comes face to face with forgotten, genocidal atrocities swept under the proverbial carpet. DG
Price: £9.99 Info: www.serenbooks.com