The German Sisters

ON THE EVE OF WWII, TWO BERLIN SISTERS FIND THEMSELVES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WAR. ONE FALLS UNDER THE FUHRER’S SPELL—THE OTHER FLEES, PUTTING AN OCEAN AND DECADES OF SILENCE BETWEEN THEM. A CHILD REMAINS THEIR LAST, SECRET BOND.

 Gerda is thirteen when Hitler takes office; her sister Ilse, eleven. While Gerda grows disillusioned by Nazism, Ilse becomes a follower: The Führer’s voice on the radio is like a drug to her. A growing ideological divide drives the sisters apart. 

At fifteen, Ilse is chosen for Year on the Land—catchphrase Kinder, Küche, Kirche (Children, Kitchen, Church)—an indoctrination program designed to boost the Aryan birth rate. There, she falls in love with a boy from a nearby camp and becomes pregnant. She immediately recognizes the consequences…

Meanwhile, Gerda has decided to leave Germany. As she and her husband are boarding a train to flee the regime, Ilse surprises her sister at the station, handing her a basket through the train window. As the train pulls away, Gerda and her husband are shocked to discover…a baby girl in the basket.

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 evocative novel offers a window into the experiences 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.

• “The German Sisters is a gift: A deeply felt story of sisterhood, war, authoritarianism, and betrayal. Helen Klein Ross is an impeccable writer who brings her great intelligence and heart to every page.” 
  Jenny Jackson, New York Times Bestselling author of The Shampoo Effect and Pineapple Street
• “Immersive, heart-stopping and beautifully written account of the everyday choices that will force two young German sisters apart and ask us all to confront the impossible and the unforgivable.”
  Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
• “Astonishing immediacy and gripping intensity… I'm in awe of Ross's gift for weaving her vast historical knowledge into the small details of everyday life. I felt I was walking side by side with Gerda and Ilse as they were swept into the turmoil of the 1930s and '40s... The German Sisters kept me up reading late into the night, determined learn their stories.”
  Lauren Belfer, New York Times bestselling author of And After the Fire
• "In this tender family saga Helen Klein Ross encapsulates the literal life and death consequences of authoritarian rule. This story tugs at your heart strings as entire destinies, diasporas and familial bonds are upended. The German Sisters is a profound novel of irreversible loss and the hard, human work required of family members in search of redemption."
  Hafeez Lakhani, author of Abundance