Day: March 23, 2022

Following A Light in the Window and From the Dark We Rise, Marion Kummerow continues the story of Margarete in The Girl in the Shadows, another striking historical fiction novel.

The author has done a fantastic job of tracing Margarete’s path as she navigates the perilous times of World War II – with a stolen identity.

(No, that is not a spoiler. It is the conceit of the books and clearly stated in the blurb).

At this point in her journey, Margarete is well-established as Annagret Huber. But even as the identity is a blessing that keeps her alive, it is also a curse as she discovers what she is now responsible for as Annagret.

That blessing/curse dichotomy becomes most prevalent in this installment of the story. In fact, it feels like the previous two books were building to this one. It makes sense because this is a planned trilogy (more on that in a minute).

While the path so far has been rocky and there have been frightening moments for Margarete, this is the closest she comes to full exposure.

There is a lot given away in the blurbs (I hate that). So, you know that this is where Margarete stands up and takes action against the atrocities she is seeing.

But she continues to walk a thin line because she strings Thomas along even as she is helping Stefan. This is not a thriller in the typical sense. But there are tense moments that feel like the whole thing will crash down in a horrible way.

That is partly due to the subject matter (naturally) but is more largely due to the author’s talents in telling the story in such a way that whatever Margarete is feeling the reader feels too.

It is more than good description, but it is hard to put my finger on. There is just something real about the way she is written. It is easier to experience right along with her instead of just being told something is happening.

I know that probably doesn’t make sense, but it fits perfectly in my mind.

The author also does a great job of detailing how corrupt the entire German process was at the time. How nobody really emerged with clean hands (even though several claimed to).

Even those who are purportedly helping the Jews don’t always escape cleanly.

It is all a thoughtful exploration into the depths of what people will do when their convictions are tested. The choice is not always black or white. I will also say that given what happens to a few characters, karma has a way of working.

There is so much to this story, in fact, that the author has decided to add a fourth book to the planned trilogy.

After starting another new path in The Girl in the Shadows, I very much look forward to seeing what Marion Kummerow has in store for Margarete in the next book.  

Author Bio:

Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to “discover the world” and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she’s now living with her family.

Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II.