Name -The Vanishing Sky
Pages -288
Author -L. Annette Binder
Publisher -Bloomsbury Publishing
Publisher -Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre -Historical fiction, Family & Relationships
Rating -3.5/5
Source -NetGalley
ISBN -9781635574678Review no. -19
Synopsis -
For readers of Warlight and The Invisible Bridge, an intimate, harrowing story about a family of German citizens during World War II.
In 1945, as the war in Germany nears its violent end, the Huber family is not yet free of its dangers or its insidious demands. Etta, a mother from a small, rural town, has two sons serving their home country: her elder, Max, on the Eastern front, and her younger, Georg, at a school for Hitler Youth. When Max returns from the front, Etta quickly realizes that something is not right-he is thin, almost ghostly, and behaving very strangely. Etta strives to protect him from the Nazi rule, even as her husband, Josef, becomes more nationalistic and impervious to Max's condition. Meanwhile, miles away, her younger son Georg has taken his fate into his own hands, deserting his young class of battle-bound soldiers to set off on a long and perilous journey home.
The Vanishing Sky is a World War II novel as seen through a German lens, a story of the irreparable damage of war on the home front, and one family's participation-involuntary, unseen, or direct-in a dangerous regime. Drawing inspiration from her own father's time in the Hitler Youth, L. Annette Binder has crafted a spellbinding novel about the daring choices we make for country and for family.
Review -
In 1945, as the war in Germany nears its violent end, the Huber family is not yet free of its dangers or its insidious demands. Etta, a mother from a small, rural town, has two sons serving their home country: her elder, Max, on the Eastern front, and her younger, Georg, at a school for Hitler Youth. When Max returns from the front, Etta quickly realizes that something is not right-he is thin, almost ghostly, and behaving very strangely. Etta strives to protect him from the Nazi rule, even as her husband, Josef, becomes more nationalistic and impervious to Max's condition. Meanwhile, miles away, her younger son Georg has taken his fate into his own hands, deserting his young class of battle-bound soldiers to set off on a long and perilous journey home.
The Vanishing Sky is a World War II novel as seen through a German lens, a story of the irreparable damage of war on the home front, and one family's participation-involuntary, unseen, or direct-in a dangerous regime. Drawing inspiration from her own father's time in the Hitler Youth, L. Annette Binder has crafted a spellbinding novel about the daring choices we make for country and for family.
Review -
I downloaded this novel because the of the catchy title and the beautiful but a bit depressing cover. The novel is about the story of survival of a German family, the Huber family, towards the end of World War II. Etta, a mother of two sons is the main protagonist of the novel. Her husband Josef is desperate to fight the war and tries to mix up with the young soldiers when he rejoins the army. Her elder son, Max, returns from the war at Stalingrad with severe PTSD. Her younger son ,Georg ,is in the Hitler's Youth.
Positives:
1.The story is descriptive.
2.This means that it is successful in delivering the pain to the readers.3. The story is cinematic which reminds me a lot of Jojo Rabbit.
Negatives:
1.The story is depressing. Only strong people could read this stuff as terrible things happen in almost every page.
2. The story is flat and confusing. I had to go back several pages to understand what was happening at a particular scene.
3.I am not able to classify it as historical fiction.
Recommendation: I recommend it to strong-hearted history enthusiasts.
I thank NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me this wonderful opportunity.
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