The German Sisters: A Novel

Gerda is thirteen when Hitler takes office; her sister Ilse, eleven. While Gerda grows disillusioned by Nazism, Ilse becomes a fervent follower. 

At fifteen, Ilse is recruited for Year on the Land—catchphrase “Children, Kitchen, Church”—a rural indoctrination program designed to boost the Aryan birth rate. There, she falls in love with a boy from a nearby camp and becomes pregnant. When the boy is expelled, Ilse begins to fear consequences. 

Months later, as Gerda and her husband are preparing to leave the country, Ilse surprises her at the train station with a basket. As the train pulls away, Gerda opens the basket and is shocked to discover...a baby. Years after the war, Ilse confronts her schoolgirl self—naively caught up in fascism’s false promises—and resolves to track down her sister. What will happen when she finds the daughter she gave away? 

Emotionally resonant and deeply relevant, this novel offers a window into the experience of millions of Germans under Hitler—their indoctrination, resistance, and searing regrets. The German Sisters explores how ordinary lives are transformed by extraordinary times—and whether love can survive our deepest betrayals.