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Pros: Gretel’s sharp as a tack and rather saucy, I quite liked her/Though she's not a fan of children, she and Henry hit it off well and she's very sweet with him/Heidi and Gretel's relationship 💗
Cons: The time jump from Gretel being 15 to then 18 and heading off to Australia, I feel like Boyne left out some details that could have been important but it didn't take away from the book overall.
Full Review
Gretel Fernsby is 91 years old and has lived in the same swanky London Flat for the last sixty years. She leads an uneventful life. Her son Caden comes to visit her from time to time, she often has tea with her neighbor across the hall, Heidi, who's only in her 60s but is slowly going senile and right now, Gretel's biggest concern is what kind of tenants will be moving into the recently sold Flat on the first floor. She hopes it's not a family since she's not the biggest fan of children, noisy and bothersome when she enjoys her quiet life.
Much to her chagrin, it is a family that moves into Flat one. She eventually summons up the fortitude to pay a visit and introduce herself. She finds the flat empty except for a young woman named Madelyn. It turns out she was once an actress but her husband, a rather prominent film producer, Alexander Darcy-Witt, decided that she should stop and stay at home with their son. Gretel finds this a bit odd, the husband making decisions for his wife but, Madelyn does seem a bit distracted and flighty, so perhaps it's for the best. And when Gretel meets their son, Henry, she's pleased to find him a quiet, bookish sort, content to sit outside in the garden and read, just as she does. She shrugs off the fact that his arm is in a sling, figuring young boys get into all sorts of scrapes and it's most likely nothing.
It would seem that her quiet, untroubled life will be allowed to continue until one night, she watches a disturbing scene unfold. Madelyn is out on the front lawn in nothing but her underwear. Alex carries her back inside and then, she hears running footsteps and sees Henry in the garden, trying to hide from his father.
Gretel is deeply disturbed, feeling trapped between a rock and a hard place. She's torn since, it's not her business but at the same time, she feels that she can't just stand idly by and watch something like this happen. It's obvious not all is well with the Darcy-Witt family, that Alex is abusive and Madelyn and Henry are his victims. Ufortunately Gretel is familiar with violence and she knows what it's like to carry a secret and guilt. She's been doing it ever since she was fifteen and fled to Paris with her mother after the death of her father.
He was hanged for his crimes in WWII. He was a Nazi, the Commandant that oversaw the most notorious death-camp, Auschwitz and Gretel spent most of her young adult life trying to wrangle the guilt she felt at whether she was complicit in his crimes. Since they lived at Auschwitz and she understood, at least in a small way, that what they were doing was wrong but she did nothing to stop it.
The horror and shame has haunted and plagued every relationship she's ever had. She's struggled constantly with whether to be honest, fearing that she would be found out and her crimes revealed. But now, with this situation with the Darcy-Witt's, she's again faced with the choice to help or stay silent. I was quite pleased with the results.
Though this was not an easy or light read but there were glimmers of hope and happiness peppered throughtout. It was a deeply emotional story of growth, courage and finding your voice. I was surprised to find that this almost a companion piece to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas also by Boyne, so I'll be moving that book onto my "next read" list very soon.
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