Love in the Third Reich
A stud character sketches of three individuals and their love lives in Nazi Germany
Georg, a soldier during World War II, Lore, he falls in love with and Klara, working for the Lebensborn organization; their three life stories snake through the twentieth century, each with their own timeline, sometimes intertwined, sometimes separate. The narrative follows them in their daily lives, with a focus on affairs of the heart. Through their eyes, we experience their first love and see how young people are misled by the totalitarian regime in which they are growing up.
Profound and universal issues are explored in this noteworthy poetic coming-of-age debut ., the mother-daughter relationship and breaking with the faith one’s been raised in.
Judith, who’s preparing for her school-leaving exams, has grown up in a strict religious environment. She lives with her single mother in a flat owned by the church, and the two often ask themselves the question ‘What would Jesus do?’. In their world it’s customary to follow God’s plan, which often channels women into teacher training – but Judith wants to study at the conservatory.
A spark is lit in Judith when, , she ventures to the local snack bar on a Sunday. There she meets Dorian, a girl with dyed hair and a leather jacket: she is the very opposite of Judith. Judith wrestles with herself in the run-up to the audition at the conservatory: is this what God wants of her? But the question what she herself wants is becoming increasingly important.
In the end, Judith is not accepted at the conservatory, yet her resolve to break free grows.
The final chord of this sensitive book is both strong and moving. Judith plays a psalm on her cello and decides it’s her last. She takes Dorian’s hand in hers and together they leave the church.
Martin Michael Driessen (b. 1954) is a director of plays and operas, a translator and a writer. He made his debut in 1999 with the novel 'Gars', which was followed in 2012 by 'Vader van God' (Father of God) and in 2013 by 'Een ware held' (A True Hero), all of them acclaimed by the press and nominated for literary prizes.