by Louise Fein
My original plan had been to write the book from the Jewish experience. But the more I learned, the more I wanted to understand the mind-set of the Nazis. How could a people of a deeply civilized, democratic nation become so unbelievably cruel, dehumanize one another, and commit atrocities on such an unimaginable scale? The more I read, the more I realized that what I wanted to say could perhaps be more powerfully told if I were to climb inside the head of a Nazi. To tell the tale of someone young, who was fed a twisted ideology and taught hatred from day one. Someone who knew no other way. What could possibly change their outlook when it went so against everything their family and the society around them believed?
To research for the book, I read widely, including a large variety of texts—both nonfiction and fiction—accounts of those who lived through those times, and contemporaneous letters and diaries; listened to recordings of testimonials; and had the benefit of access to PhD theses and family papers. I also read Mein Kampf and visited Leipzig. In all of this, I had a good deal of help from my sister Kathleen with both research and translation. In Leipzig, I was able to interview some incredibly helpful people, including Dr. Thomas Töpfer, the then-director of the Schools Museum; Dr. Andrea Lorz, a German historian specializing in the history of the Jews in Leipzig; and Dr. Hubert Lang, a retired lawyer with a special interest in Jewish legal history in Leipzig and the author of books on this subject. I explored the town extensively, including the area of Gohlis (which is featured in the book), where my father and his family lived. I was put in touch with a gentleman in London, Peter Held, who had traveled to England as a teenager on the kindertransport, and who had lived on the same street as my father’s cousins in Leipzig. He remembered my father’s family well. He was ninety-four when I met with him in the summer of 2016. Sadly, he passed away only a few weeks later.
Certain aspects of historical detail have been altered for the sake of the story. For example, certain people, speeches, locations, and events are the product of my imagination or the amalgamation or alteration of facts. One particular invention is the “Hausfrau school.” There actually were various Reich Bride Schools in existence at the time, offering courses in household management. In fact, there were some courses designed for the more working-class wives-to-be and others for the more middle-class women—or the “elite”—who were marrying members of the SS. The “Hausfrau school” Hetty is threatened with is, in my imagination, more of a residential finishing-school-type institution, hence I have differentiated it from what really existed by giving it a different name.
Writing this book has been a journey on so many levels. I hope that, if I have done my job well, readers will experience a sense of this tumultuous period in history through the eyes of Hetty and Walter. I hope that readers will also mull over the precariousness of the freedoms and rights we take so much for granted in our own times. And above all, I want to show that the lessons of the past must never be forgotten.
Q&A with Louise Fein
Q: What was your toughest challenge and greatest pleasure while writing this book?
A: I suppose the toughest challenge in writing this book, yet also the greatest pleasure, was the research. It was an enormous task, partly because there is so much information available on this period, and partly in making sure I didn’t just dump information into the book. In common with many other historical novels, only a tiny fraction of the research I did actually made it into the book, because a novel should feel like a work of fiction and not a history lesson. That said, most of the research is revealed in a visceral sense, in the background: the sights, the scents, the smells, the conversations and actions of the characters. Ideally, it pulls the reader into that world, so that the book is not just hard facts but rather a multisensory experience of the time. I suppose the challenge, and the pleasure, is achieving that authenticity. One of my biggest concerns has been to get the facts correct. Sometimes this is harder than it sounds because there can be conflicting information, or hard-to-find, obscure points. For instance, the road names in the book caused me some stress. They often changed names several times during the period in which the story takes place, or half a road was called something different. I spent about three days just checking and rechecking road names! There are some inaccuracies in the book, sometimes out of necessity for the flow of the story. For instance, I have put a fictional Jewish graveyard in a location where there wasn’t one. Being only an amateur historian, I have learned so much from studying the background for this book. One specific thing I found extremely difficult was reading Mein Kampf. I had to really steel myself to do that, and it was almost seven hundred pages long, so it took some time to wade through it. I concluded that Hitler truly was a narcissistic madman, and how people bought into his often conflicting, ridiculous rants is still beyond all understanding.
Q: What was your writing process like? How much did the story change from your first draft to today?
A: I wrote a terrible first draft of the book before beginning my master’s degree, just trying to get the basic bones of the story down but knowing it needed a lot of work and improvement. I originally told the story in the third person from both Hetty’s and Walter’s perspectives, written in past tense with some elements from the present day. I ditched that draft and started again, telling the story from only Hetty’s perspective, and then experimented by switching to a first-person, present-tense narrative. Finally, I was on my way. “Being” Hetty rather than observing her made all the difference, and suddenly she became the full-fledged character she is in the final book. I would say that while the story itself has varied very little from the first draft to today, the manner of telling it is completely different. With each draft, I also added layers and minor story lines which increased the depth and nuance of the story. I’ve lost count of how many drafts I went through before the final version you see today!
Q: You did an extensive amount of research into World War II–era Germany to write this novel. Was there anything you learned that was particularly surprising?
A: I think one of the most surprising things was that despite all that the Nazis were saying or doing, and the warning signs, most Germans did very little to try to stop them. There was a sense of inevitability and headshaking and concern, but an overwhelming feeling of “Well, what can we do?” Most people just continued on with their daily lives and hoped it would all go away. In the letters and diary entries I read, people expressed discomfort and despair, but also a sense that ordinary people were powerless to change anything. There’s a certain parallel to some of today’s issues, such as the rise of nationalism, hate-filled rhetoric, and climate change. People comment on social media and discuss the issues with friends, but there is also a belief that altering the course of world events is outside our control. We, too, have a tendency to cross our fingers and hope it will all be okay in the end.
Q: As a child raised in a Nazi family, Hetty spends a good portion of her youth—and the book—sharing many of their beliefs. Was it difficult to write a character who expressed these sentiments yet still remained likable?
A: Actually, Hetty’s character was relatively easy to write. She came to me as a fully formed person, and there was never much doubt as to how she would react in any given situation. I think it was easier to be sympathetic to her because she was taught her reprehensible beliefs as a young child and it is hard to judge someone in that situation. Hitler knew that it was vital to get to the youth because they are the easiest to brainwash. Indeed, that whole generation of Hitler’s children had to be de-Nazified. I found Vati more difficult to write. It was hard not to make him a stereotypical heel-clicking, black-booted Nazi. However hateful, Nazis were also human, and I had to make him a rounded person who was a husband and father as well as someone who thought and did despicable things. The same went for Tomas. Tomas had a troubled childhood and took his troubles into adulthood. He became twisted and warped, just like the world around him.
Q: We first meet many of the characters as childre
n, and then get to follow them through the years over the course of the book. What was the experience like of writing the same characters at different ages? In particular, how did your approach to writing from Hetty’s perspective change as she grew up and became more mature?
A: It was quite a challenge to write the characters as children in an adult book. In fact, the early part of the book probably changed the most as it was hard to get it right—to make the characters sound age-appropriate without the tone feeling juvenile. That said, it was incredibly useful to explore how the characters’ childhood experiences made them the adults they became. In lots of ways, it was rewarding to follow their journeys into adulthood. It would have been interesting to see what sort of person Karl would have turned out to be, but sadly, like many boys of his time, he didn’t make it far into adulthood. With respect to Hetty, she went on a huge journey of character development. Her inner conflict was so interesting to explore, especially once, with Walter’s influence, she began to question the prevalent attitudes around her. It was satisfying from a character development perspective to write Hetty’s journey from Hitler worshipper to vehement anti-Nazi.
Q: What would you like readers to take away from Daughter of the Reich?
A: The main thing is a sense of how easy it is to brainwash a nation. I would like readers to think about what they might realistically do if they were placed in such a situation. We all like to think we would be heroes and resist the forces of evil, but it’s different when it is your own loved ones who may suffer the consequences. I believe we all need to think about the messages and actions of governments today. Many may seem small and insignificant but added together they could potentially become more sinister. Our institutions of democracy and freedom are fragile and need protecting. Above all, I hope the book engenders discussion and discourse.
Reading Group Guide
As a child, Hetty becomes an enthusiastic follower of Nazi beliefs. With the benefit of hindsight as a teenager, she may appear naïve in her unquestioning adherence to these morally reprehensible views. How does one acquire a moral compass, and who are the most important influencers—parents, school, friends? How challenging is it to think differently from those around you, particularly as a child or young person?
Hetty continues to tolerate Tomas as a friend, even though she has moved up the social and economic ladder, leaving him behind as his family’s status deteriorates. Why do you think she keeps hold of his friendship, even as she sometimes appears ashamed of Tomas? How does the dynamic of their relationship change over the course of the novel?
Unlike Hetty, Karl’s attitude toward the Nazis is not brought into question in the book. He appears to be a devoted follower of Hitler, but do you think he ever questions his own allegiance? What evidence is there for your opinion?
Mutti, as a French woman rather than a German, is an ardent Nazi and steadfast admirer of her husband. Even after the war, and knowing of her husband’s infidelity, she does not lose faith in either. What drives her to behave and feel the way she does?
Hetty credits Walter for changing her way of thinking. Do you think she would have continued her unquestioning support of the regime as the truth of what was happening to Jews and other minorities emerged, even if it weren’t for Walter? On what do you base your opinion?
Although there were fractured pockets of resistance in some German towns and cities as the 1930s progressed and the hold of the Nazis became increasingly extreme, there was no grand-scale resistance in Germany as there later was in France. Why do you think this was? How does the way German society is portrayed in Daughter of the Reich influence your opinion?
Walter and Hetty took huge risks as their relationship evolved, particularly in their clandestine meetings. Erna’s family took enormous personal risks to help Hetty, but also to help total strangers. Why do some people act in ways to save others, even if it jeopardizes their own safety? Which characters in the book would you consider heroic, and why? Which character(s) do you associate with?
One of the recurring themes in the book is that of female relationships: between Hetty and Erna, between Mutti and Hetty, and between Hetty and Anna. Discuss the complexities of each of these relationships. Do you see a common thread?
After Walter has left for London, Hetty says, “What can one helpless girl, with no influence, do?” Even though she had promised Walter she would do anything in her power to help his family, she quickly realizes how utterly helpless she is. Consider her position as the teenage daughter of a Nazi officer. What do you think she was realistically capable of doing? In what ways are her intentions to help doomed from the start? How does Hetty’s inability to make a difference represent the reality of so many Germans caught in the cross fire of the Nazi regime?
Hetty becomes involved in the kindertransport, a program through which thousands of desperate mothers sent their children away for their own safety. While some children were lucky enough to have relatives to go to, most were sent to strangers who agreed to take these refugee children into their own homes for indefinite periods of time. What do you think persuaded people to offer to take such children in? Do you think such a program would or could be implemented today?
A Select List of Sources
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Calvin University, German Propaganda Archive (English translations of speeches by Nazi leaders), Professor Randall Bytwerk
Schulmuseum, Stadt Leipzig
Buchenwald Memorial, Weimar
The Weiner Holocaust Library, London
JSTOR—“Before Auschwitz: The Formation of the Nazi Concentration Camps, 1933–9”
oldimprints.com—old maps, brochures, and invitations to Leipzig Fairs
NONFICTION
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A Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Germany in the 1930s, Henry Metelmann
Ein Volk, Ein Reich: Nine Lives Under the Nazis, Louis Hagen
Nazi Women, Cate Haste
What We Knew: Terror, Mass Murder and Everyday Life in Nazi Germany: An Oral History, Eric A. Johnson and Karl-Heinz Reuband
Jüdische Spuren in Leipzig, Bernd-Lutz Lange and Andrea Lorz
The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
Hitler’s Empire: Nazi Rule in Occupied Europe, Mark Mazower
Six from Leipzig, Gertrude Dubrovsky
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow, Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Growing Up Female in Nazi Germany, Dagmar Reece
The Rise of Adolph Hitler and The Triumph of Hitler, Philip Gavin, The History Place
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William L. Shirer
Sylvia’s Story: A Memoir, Sylvia Wildmann
“‘Aryanization’ in Leipzig. Driven Out. Robbed. Murdered,” Dr. Monika Gibas, Dr. Cornelia Briel, Petra Knöller, Steffen Held, translated by Cynthia Dyre Moellenhoff, 2009, Leipzig City History Museum
“Jews in Leipzig: Nationality and Community in the 20th Century,” Robert Allen Willingham II, dissertation, May 2005, University of Texas at Austin
“The Family in the Third Reich, 1933–1945,” Lisa N. N. Pine, PhD thesis, Department of International History, LSE http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/1410/1/U084457.pdf
“Inter-generational diachronic study of the German-Jewish Fein family from Leipzig,” Rico Langheine, 2014, University of Sussex
Fein Family Papers, Sussex University Library Special Collections
Fein Family Collection, 1872–1990, Leo Baeck Institute
Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler
The Perfect Nazi: Uncovering My Grandfather’s Secret Past, Martin Davidson
Let Me Go, Helga Schneider
Germany: Memories of a Nation, Neil MacGregor
A Time to Speak, Helen Lewis
The Third Reich: A Chronicle, Richard Overy
I Shall Bear Witness: The Diaries of Victor Klemperer 1933–41, Victor Klemperer
To the Bitter End: The Diaries of Victor Klemperer 1942–45, Victor Klemperer
A Child
of Hitler: Germany in the Days When God Wore a Swastika, Alfons Heck
East West Street, Philippe Sands
Lebensborn, Jo Ann Bender
Seduced by Hitler: The Choices of a Nation and the Ethics of Survival, Adam LeBor and Roger Boyes
“Leipzig 1937,” Historiche Adressbücher
SONG TRANSLATIONS
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“Lieder, totalitarianism, and the Bund deutscher Mädel: girls’ political coercion through song,” Rachel Jane Anderson, thesis, July 2002, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada, source: Library and Archives Canada/OCLC 57575010
JOKES
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Dead Funny: Telling Jokes in Hitler’s Germany, Rudolph Herzog, 2011
Lifehack, Erik Lund
“Werner Finck, Anti-Nazi Jokes,” evanfleischer.com
FICTION
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The Reader, Bernhard Schlink
Reunion, Fred Uhlman
Alone in Berlin, Hans Fallada
Little Man, What Now?, Hans Fallada
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne
Yellow Star, Jennifer Roy
All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Schindler’s List, Thomas Keneally
Fatherland: A Novel, Robert Harris
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, Art Spiegelman
The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel, Kurt Vonnegut
The Zookeeper’s Wife, Diane Ackerman
Once, Then, Now, Morris Gleitzman
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, Judith Kerr
Bombs on Aunt Dainty, Judith Kerr
A Small Person Far Away, Judith Kerr
Copyright