Hegi, Ursula "Stones from the River" - 1994
Quite a different war story, Trudi is a dwarf and grows up in war-torn Germany, not a good time for anyone who is not what the Nazis expect a "normal" person to be.
A very interesting read about how life was at that time, how the Nazis gained more and more ground, how people got more and more suspicious.
I think this is a very important account not just of German history but also of human behaviour.
Book Description:
"Stones from the River is a daring, dramatic and complex novel of life in Germany. It is set in Burgdorf, a small fictional German town, between 1915 and 1951. The protagonist is Trudi Montag, a Zwerg -- the German word for dwarf woman. As a dwarf she is set apart, the outsider whose physical "otherness" has a corollary in her refusal to be a part of Burgdorf's silent complicity during and after World War II. Trudi establishes her status and power, not through beauty, marriage, or motherhood, but rather as the town's librarian and relentless collector of stories.
Through Trudi's unblinking eyes, we witness the growing impact of Nazism on the ordinary townsfolk of Burgdorf as they are thrust on to a larger moral stage and forced to make choices that will forever mark their lives. Stones from the River is a story of secrets, parceled out masterfully by Trudi -- and by Ursula Hegi -- as they reveal the truth about living through unspeakable times."
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