This novel, translated from the Czech language, describes the life of Germans in the Czech region of Europe before, during, and after World War II. It does not paint a pretty picture. Some Germans supported the rise of Adolf Hitler and paid a moral price for the rest of their lives. Others – especially women and children – were not directly involved in the political and war efforts, but were still forced on a death march. For the rest of their lives, regardless of their personal outlook on the war and on German culture, they formed an oppressed people under Soviet social domination. Tučková does history a service in putting their plight into print.

The protagonist Gerta consistently opposed the Nazi rise. Her mother was Czech, but her father was German. Her brother went off to fight in the war. She liked neither her father nor her brother. Her best friend, a Czech, died as a result of hostilities, and the best friend’s family blamed the German people broadly and Gerta specifically for her death. After being forcefully relocated through a death march, Gerta was alone for most of her life, with few friends and no husband. Although reconciliation between Czechs and Germans occurred, it was so late in Gerta’s life that it really did not affect her much. Tučková thus paints her as a tragic figure whose life could be considered as almost wasted.

Life around and after World War II in Eastern Europe is not well-known among the English-speaking world due to the Cold War. Therefore, this work provides food for insight to historians and to the reading public. The picture it paints is very sad and difficult. Much as the Nazis fomented ethnic hatred in their rise, so was ethnic hatred spread against innocent persons afterward. The situation under communism depicts widespread oppression and devaluing of basic human rights. Governments did little to promote universal peace and harmony.

Although the translation is smooth and the writing is generally moving, this work can get bogged down in mundane and unimportant details at times. Gerta’s life was not one of excitement and engagement, and that’s precisely the point of this work. Still, my intrigue often languished, particularly in the third and fourth parts (of five). Overall, though, this book tells a tale that deserves to be heard again and again so that future generations do not repeat the mistake of superficial hatred. ( )

Tragic, bleak and powerful, Gerta reminds us of the pointlessness of revenge. When victims become victors, invariably losers become victims, and the victors segue into the worst behaviours of their former oppressors.

This story spans decades. It’s told in brief episodes, each almost a standalone short story. This variety helps the reader to manage the unrelenting misery and injustice of a life “completely unfulfilled and futile.” ( )

World War II ( )