The German House is a literary triumph, dealing with questions of shame, complicity and responsibility. Eva Bruhns works as a translator and is recruited to work at a trial of former SS officers being held to account for atrocities committed at Auschwitz. Her parents Ludwig and Edith run a restaurant - the German House and when they discover she is to be part of the trial process, they implore her not to accept the position. Her fiance is also deeply concerned and fears she will be emotionally scarred. However Eva is a strong female character and despite such resistance, proclaims, "I decide for myself, where, when and how I'm going to work. I'm in charge of myself, and myself alone!"

As the trial commences, shadowy memories return to Eva from her childhood and she becomes more and more convinced that she is somehow connected to the camp. Unable to shake this disturbing feeling, she searches the files in the prosecutor's office, and to her horror, discovers her father's name among the SS officers who served at the camp. When she confronts him, he claims that he had no choice and that he had no knowledge of what was happening to the prisoners until after the war. Eva feels an 'ineffable shame' and tells her father, "You may not have murdered anyone, but you allowed it. I don't know which is worse!"

As more and more information is uncovered at the trial of the horrors that occurred she is haunted by questions of responsibility and guilt. As the verdict is made that 'what was lawful then, cannot be considered unlawful today', and that only those who acted contrary to orders or of their own accord, will be sentenced for murder, the question remains - is silence as heinous as action? The atrocities committed could only continue while everyone remained complicit. Is fear a reasonable defence?

Eva was an inspirational character and the writing was sublime. Never an easy read, it was however, challenging and compelling and a book that will remain with me always.

Eva Bruhns is a young German woman working as a translator. Her life changes when she take up a post as translator for the Auschwitz Trials in Frankfurt. At the same time she is in a burgeoning relationship with Jurgen, a wealthy man who wants her to bend to his will in what she should and should not do.

There is a third storyline involving her sister Annegret which whilst very interesting has little relevance to the main story line unless it is commenting on character and how it develops. It is this that made the book 4 rather than 5 stars as I felt it didn't really have a place in the novel. I felt the Author would have been bette placed developing Eva's moral questions

It is hard to write a review for this book without giving away the factors that make it surprising, complex and filled with raw emotion. I felt it had a lot to make the reader think and I will remember it for a long time

Set around the Auschwitz trials of 1963 in Frankfurt, our main character is Eva, a young translator. Eva lives above The German House – a restaurant run by her parents, Ludwig and Edith Bruhns, her sister, Annegret and young brother, Stefan. Eva is hoping to marry Jurgen Schoormann, whose wealthy father runs a famous mail order catalogue.

Eva finds herself involved in a war crimes trial, which will have implications for her life, her family and the way she sees both herself and her country. Jurgen is not thrilled at the idea of his intended wanting to work and Eva has doubts about her relationship. Before he met her, Jurgen wanted to be a priest and, at times, he is a little severe and grumpy – for a start, he doesn’t like the Beatles, so his judgement is obviously severely impaired!

At times, this felt a little like a Young Adult novel. It seems almost improbable that Eva was so unaware of what happened in her country, although the author unravels her growing understanding of the enormity of the crimes facing her. There is an interesting side story about her overweight sister, who has affairs which lead her nowhere and is much respected for her commitment to the babies she cares for. However, as with Eva’s storyline, there is much going on beneath the surface of what appears to be the accepted version of her life.

At the end of the day, I can only rate books on how much I enjoy reading it and, despite the fact that this novel had shortcomings, overall, I really found it interesting and was engaged with both the plot and the characters. An interesting look at a fascinating historical event; sometimes a little clumsily done, but very readable. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

This is an historical fiction book which explores the Frankfurt trials, the controversial trails held in Frankfurt two decades after the holocaust which set out to convict the SS men who held senior positions at Auschwitz. This book is written by a german lady, I read the translation in english.

As with many translations this book is dry but very quickly I was drawn into the streets of Frankfurt surrounded by germans who didn't want to even acknowledge the trials that were taking place to hearing the survivors recounting their stories to be torn apart by the defense.

This book sent me down many internet rabbit holes, googling various matters raised in the book and I felt like the author really captured the feelings of the people in this account from the articles I stumbled upon.

This is a coming of age story centred around Eva, a german who is translating the accounts of polish survivors in court.

I haven't read much about the after years of the holocaust and I feel more informed having read this.

As with all books of this nature it's a hard read, having now read the last few pages im left feeling incredibly sad. Its human nature to twist events in our minds to make them more comfortable to live with but how the SS of the selection teams (the men who decided who would work in the camps and who would be sent straight to the gas chambers) could defend their positions that they choose to save lives equally as much as terminate them is just beyond me.

As with many books, documentaries, memoirs of any horrendous act I am left feeling disappointed with humans and what we are capable of.

This was a story that was sad and sometimes very true
In Frankfurt people were getting over the war.in ignorance about what had happened in the camps during the war.
Eva was employed as a translator when information started coming about what the local business men had been doing during the war.
All,these So called good people had murdered thousands of people in the camps and they were brought to court for their terrible deeds.
People did not believe these terrible murders had been done, and it took the court with Eva’s help as a translator send these people to prison.

This seems like the perfect book for me; a post war setting, a secret and a mystery but unfortunately I just couldn't connect with it and ended up DNF'ing it. It felt a little disjointed and difficult to read in places - I'm not sure whether this was due to the translation. Many thanks for the opportunity to read.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, HarperVia, the author Annette Hess, and the translator Elisabeth Lauffer.
I am fascinated by historical fiction focused on this darkest period of human history, and The German House did not fail to deliver. An extremely emotive and harrowing (at times) story, which stays with you long after you have turned the last page.
It addresses the issue of silence and how to a degree, every German citizen was compliant in the actions of Nazi criminals unless they were taking tangible action against them. Eva's family is much more directly involved and as a result, you as a reader are too.
A fascinating take on the aftermath of WW2 from a perspective I hadn't considered before. 4 stars.

In 1960s Germany, Eva Bruhn works as a German/Polish translator and finds herself involved in war crimes trials, translating for witnesses who had experienced the horrors of Auschwitz. Newly engaged, Eva's fiancé is not at all pleased with her involvement and their relationship becomes fraught; Eva also struggles with the relationship with her parents and sister, as she tries to fathom what they know about this terrible history, and whether they were involved somehow.

This is a clever story, gradually the pieces come together in Eva's own life as she realizes that with all her new knowledge she can never be the same Eva. I found this poignant and compassionate, treating the subject with great respect. A recommended read.

Frankfurt 1963, WW2 and the horrors of the past mean little to Eva Bruhn’s a young translater. Her life revolves around a close knit family, their restaurant and the chance that she’ll get a marriage proposal from her boyfriend in the very near future,however the War Trials are about to start and they are dire need of a translater. Her acceptance of this position has a huge impact on her life,secrets are revealed and this influences her future, as she comes to terms with the realisation of what has happened.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for ARC of this book.

The German House follows Eva, a young woman in 1960s Germany, on the verge of an engagement to a wealthy man. As her relationship progresses, she agrees to act as a translator in the trial of former SS concentration guards. Eva struggles alone with the horrors of witness testimonies as her family and fiance do not want to hear about the past. The more Eva learns about the camp, the more she questions her past and her family's actions during the war.

I found this an interesting and, sometimes, moving book. The book deals with the people who were not only guilty of committing the atrocities but also those who turned a blind eye to the truth. Are they just as guilty? I found the part of the story where Eva visits Poland especially thought-provoking as she did want to be consoled by the former prisoner in order to assuage her guilt. Despite everything she had learned, Eva was still incredibly naive.

I was not a fan of Jurgen and I don't understand why she would want to reconciled. That felt a bit off for me but overall I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Eva Bruin is a translator working in Germany in 19630 covering the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials of suspected war criminals. As she does translates the witnesses testimonies,, she begins to question her own family’s role in the Holocaust and this triggers a personal quest to visit Auschwitz to discover her real identity and uncover the truth about her father’s’ possible complicity in the atrocities of the Nazis during World War Two. I found the subject matter to be really interesting and was engaged by reading about this from a fictional German perspective. That said, I found it hard going at times and was glad when I reached the denouement.

I was completely fascinated by this book. This was an intriguing story depicting how the Second World War, from the German viewpoint, was kind of covered up. 1960s West Germany, and a trial of former SS concentration camp guards is planned. A young German woman, Eva, agrees to act as a translator and is then utterly shocked and dismayed by the things she hears. This seems a brave book for a German author, as it describes the complete failure of a significant proportion of the everyday German population to acknowledge the dreadful acts committed by the Nazis during the war. Eva is horrified by what she learns and begins to rethink her early life, and ask questions of her parents about their involvement in the Nazi war machine. I’ve read a lot about the Second World War from the viewpoint of the victors and very little about the aftermath for the German citizen. The story unfolds at a steady pace and I was very quickly gripped, wanting to know more. The characters are very human, with human frailties. Such a well written and poignant story. A brilliant read, highly recommended!

This book was a hard read in places.. It was heartbreaking to read how people were treated in concentration camps. It was interesting and difficult to read about the trials and the differing opinions about them. I thought that this book would have had more in it about Eva’s translation work and less in it about her life beyond it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Set around the 1963 Frankfurt Auschwitz trials, we meet young Eva Bruhns, a German citizen who is a Polish translator. She is called upon as the original translator has not been able to leave Poland so someone is needed at the war crimes trial. On trial are German officers and Eva ha she to translate the memories of the victims of World War 2. In doing so, she begins to question her own parents' involvement in the war and works out where some of her memories come from.
Alongside this she is battling with her suitor, Jurgen Schoormann, who finally proposes. This is what she has hoped for but she then questions the control he wants to have over her and whether he really is the right person for her to marry.
I really enjoyed learning about that particular time in history through the eyes of an innocent girl.

This is set against the background of the Frankfurt trials which took place almost 20 years after Nuremburg. It looks at the terrors and heartbreak of war and of the Auschwitz camps. Looking back and wanting answers and justice for what has gone on in past generations is necessary for future ones to move forward. Working as a translator for such trials must have been heartbreaking and it's fascinating to see a snapshot of this time.

This story looks at the experiences of the first postwar generation of Germans who were mere children during the war. Eva begins to question her family's role in the events of WW2 and her memories begin to return as the full picture now comes into play.

Frankfurt as a city is evoked well but this is a very Frankfurt of today of course. The atmosphere of war, of Auschwitz and human suffering lingers over the entire narrative as a compelling backdrop.

I genuinely feel a little bit bad,when I don't finish a book about something as terrible as the holocaust,because it's not interesting enough.
I got to 30% of the way through,then not having a single spark of interest,I moved on to other things.

This book follows the story of Eva Bruhn, a young woman living with her family in Frankfurt in 1963. Eva begins working as a translator for the prosecution in a large war trial, against the wishes of both her fiancé and family, with whom she lives and has a good relationship with. As the trial progresses, Eva begins to uncover some long-hidden family secrets which shake her solid foundations.

I really enjoyed this book. The story took us on a journey of discovery with Eva as she begins to question both her relationship with her fiancé, Jurgen, and her own family history. As Eva begins to uncover the truth, she also begins to discover her own identity and assert her independence.

Her parents are nice people, well known in the community and have created a loving family environment. However, Eva discovers that people can be more complicated than simple good versus bad. If good people do bad things, do they become bad people? And what is the motivation for doing bad things? There are often complex reasons as to why we behave as we do.

The book also deals with issues of the complicity of “ordinary” Germans in the horrific events during WW2. It asks what they knew and what they chose to ignore? These are tough questions which we may well answer with the benefit of hindsight, but who knows what we would have done at the time.

Eva forms a relationship with a clerk on the prosecution team, David, who has his own demons to face. Eva’s sister, Annegret, is such an interesting character that she deserves a book all of her own. Are Annegret’s actions at work as a direct result of her early life experiences? It appears so. Her life after the book ends intrigues me, I want to know what happens and how she reacts to those events. Also. I found Jurgen a bit of an odd character. Fairly repressed and cold, he does seem to have some love and empathy for Eva. But not enough in my opinion. I wanted to tell her that she could do so much better.

Overall, this was an interesting story and posed some questions around our morality and integrity. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy.

Little does Eva know, when she takes on the job of translator in a trial seeking to prosecute Germans who carried out war crimes in Auschwitz, how much her role will impact on her on her own life. Her family relationship is disrupted, her engagement to Jurgen suffers as does her relationship with her sister. This is a story about how memories can haunt people. Sometimes facing up to them brings peace, sometimes tragedy. It is exciting that HarperVia are producing these translations of foreign literature for us to enjoy and, if this is an example of what we can expect, there is much to look forward to.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The perspective makes it stand out and the views are at points quite shocking but true of a time and a necessary piece of history.

Not for me - I found this book over complicated and very putdownable. I made myself finish it - but I didn't enjoy it. Sorry. I think its a matter of horses for courses and for someone with a real interest in this period I am sure this would be a joy. I also wonder if some of the difficulty of the book comes from the translation?