A review by choukou
Die größere Hoffnung by Ilse Aichinger

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Literature regarding the holocaust often portrays either perpetrators or victims, but what about those trapped between those extremes? The  protagonist of this book has two „wrong“ grandparents and two „right“ ones,  which makes her half-jewish, half-aryan by nazi race politics and follows devestating developments in WWII germany from the view of a child who tries to cope with unspeakable circumstances. 

The story invokes fear, grief and feelings of oppression, so it‘s definitely a heavy read and not something for a relaxing afternoon.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Holocaust