This book took me awhile to get through (living during COVID while reading a book about trauma is stressful!), but I am glad that I was finally able to finishing reading this story.

What surprised me the most was how this book challenged the assumptions I had made about the book before even reading it. In the first few chapters of the book, I was convinced that this book may be one that tried to excuse a family's horrible, violent past, but I was surprised to learn about the hardships German refugees (not Nazis seeking to escape their deserved punishments) faced in the aftermath of World War II.

The main reason for the 4 star rating was the pacing, especially towards the end. I felt that the story moved slowly at the beginning, found it's stride in the middle, and crawled towards the end. There were at least 3 sections towards the end of the book that I was sure would be THE end, but the book kept going. While the actual story was interesting and informative, the pacing could definitely make or break a reader's interest.

***I was provided with an e-ARC of this book from PENGUIN GROUP Viking Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions above are my own.***

I enjoyed this book that talks about a different perspective of the war and finding ones roots! This read more like a novel than a non-fiction book! It was also interesting to read about the experience of Germans that were not Nazis and their life during and after the war. It was definitely not like anything else I have read.

When non-fiction is done well, it can be a page-turner. This book is equally as good as _The Killers of the Flower Moon_. Excellent research and equally important, excellent storytelling.