75 years ago, the concentration camp Auschwitz was liberated.
74 years, 5 months and 22 days ago WWII ended.
Yet we still struggle to comprehend the horror of the Holocaust, and the extent of the terror and mass murder committed by the Nazis and their fellow Fascists, during the Second World War.

In recent years books based on the real-life accounts and experiences of victims during WWII have increased in popularity. Along with this, works of fiction set during this time have also become more prevalent on bookshelves, but Fein’s novel stands apart from these for one simple reason… it is written from the perspective of a Nazi SS Officer’s daughter.

‘I nearly drowned and Walter rescued me. That changes everything.’
Leipzig, 1930’s Germany. Hetty Heinrich is a perfect German child. Her father is an SS officer, her brother in the Luftwaffe, herself a member of the BDM. She believes resolutely in her country, and the man who runs it.
Until Walter changes everything. Blond-haired, blue-eyed, perfect in every way Walter. The boy who saved her life. A Jew. Anti-Semitism is growing by the day, and neighbours, friends and family members are turning on one another. As Hetty falls deeper in love with a man who is against all she has been taught, she begins to fight against her country, her family and herself. Hetty will have to risk everything to save Walter, even if it means sacrificing herself…

I read this book in one day, and while I did like it, I found certain aspects hard to read, mainly because of the Nazi perspective that is shown, and the adoration of Hitler *shudder*. The main character in the book, Hetty Heinrich, is from a family with strong Nazi ties, and she herself is a member of the Bund Deutscher Mädel, which was the female branch of the Hitler Youth. Hetty idolises Hitler at the beginning, as this is how she was brought up. But that changes, all thanks to Walter. A young boy cast out from society and even education, all because he is of Jewish descent. As the novel unfolds, we see Hetty fight with herself against her beliefs and that of Nazi Germany, trying to decide what is right or wrong.

During WWII, no one wanted to believe that the fascist rule and the horrors of Hitler’s “final solution” (the Holocaust), were true, and the German denial that is evident throughout this novel is hard to comprehend in some ways, especially as we all know the harrowing truth of the concentration and labour camps during the war.

If you enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz and other novels of the same vein, you will probably enjoy this read as well.

***stars from me!

This is a moving and well-researched novel set in Germany in the run-up to WW2. What sets it apart for me is the use of a young girl with (initially at least) loyalty to the Nazis as its narrator. Her change of heart is gradual and we understand that she might not have changed allegiances if she hadn't met and fallen in love with Walter, who is Jewish. It's a credit to the author that Hetty remains a sympathetic narrator. Through Hetty we understand that German people were fed lies and that it was dangerous to question the stream of Nazi propaganda. It answered some of my long-held questions about the experience of being German in this period of history.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for the Advance Reader Copy.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Set in Leipzig, in 1930' Germany People like us told the heartbreaking and intense story of Hetty and Walter.
Hetty is the perfect German daughter. Her father is an SS officer, her brother is in the Luftwaffe and she firmly believes in Hitler and what he represents for her country. Meeting, and being saved by Walter, a Jewish boy, changes everything.

When I read this book was perfect for fans of The book thief, I requested a copy right away and I'm so happy the publisher and Netgalley granted me one. People like us throws the reader in an awful and hard to read historic time, seeing everything from a German's POV. Through Hetty's eyes the reader can see the antisemitism, the fanaticism, how people can be brainwashed, pushed to believe in something, to follow others without thinking. It was original reading a story set during that time period, but told by a German's voice. It was intense seeing how Hetty finds herself in a difficult position and how she learns to question herself, her family and her beliefs, thanks to Walter and what he is and their love. It's a book about a bold and brave woman, ready to fight for the right to love and for the freedom.

This book is intense, full of interesting and captivating characters and the setting is impressive and chilling, above all if one realizes how many parallels are between that time and things that still happen today in the world, how racism and nationalism are dangerous threats.
It was interesting reading that Louise Fein was inspired by her own family's history, since her father's family escaped from the Nazis in 30', becoming refugees in England. Her author's note, her talking about her father and his family and what happened to them, was really enlightening and hard to read at the same time.
People like us is a story about love, freedom, hate, injustice, history and the importance of remembering it.

This novel is both a love story and also a lesson that aims to show the parallels between the circumstances that allowed the rise of Hitler and the times we live in today.
It is written from the viewpoint of a German protagonist, Hetty Heinrich, a teenage girl, who lives in a pro Nazi German family and follows her relationship with a Jewish boy called Walter who saved her from drowning when she was younger.
Louise Fein creates very relatable characters, and their story is heartbreaking - even more so when you consider what happens to them could have happened to anyone at the time, and if we do not learn from history, could happen again. She writes beautifully and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This novel is partly inspired by the life of the author’s father and his time in Leipzig. He was Jewish and lived under Nazi rule. She aims to show the similarity between these times and the western world inc the crash of 2008, the economic hardship of the 1920s and the rise of extremist views as a result of them both.

Instead of writing from the Jewish point of view, she decided to write from the German one:

“How could a people, a deeply civilsed, democratic nation, become so unbelievably cruel; to dehumanize one another and commit atrocities on such an unimaginable scale?"

She visited Leipzig and particular the area of Gohlis where her father and his family had lived. When you read the story you really get a sense of how personal this must have been for her. It's a shocking story but very interesting to get inside the head of a Nazi in this way. Events unfold and are all the more shocking for how normal it all started and how it all panned out without anyone really doing anything to stop it. Brainwashing and being swept along with it all - now that is a dangerous thing for any people, any country to do, but are we learning from history? Recent events would suggest not, and the author touches upon this in her author's note a t the end.

I felt his was a real honour to read as there was blood, sweat and tears on each and every page. What a story and a lyrical way of writing it. This was a very unique view of the Nazi war story and I would recommend this for a fresh look on something we think we all know about inside out.