The German Heiress

Scott’s magnetic debut follows one woman’s quest for survival amid the devastation of post-WWII Germany. Clara Falkenberg, the former heiress to the Falkenberg Iron Works in Essen, Germany, has been living under an assumed name in the 18 months since the war ended. Having fled Essen during the war out of fear of reprisal from the Nazis for sneaking extra rations to foreign workers transported by the Nazis from the Soviet Union and Poland to work for them, Clara now sets out in search of an old friend back in Essen. On her way, she is detained and interrogated by British Capt. Thomas Fenshaw about the workers who starved to death. Clara escapes and soon meets black marketeer Jakob Relling, who agrees to help Clara find Elisa. As Jakob uses his connections to gather information, Fenshaw, knowing Jakob is in contact with Clara, offers him extra rations in exchange for information about her whereabouts, and Jakob is forced to decide between betraying a well-connected woman he might benefit from, and providing for his family in the moment. Scott’s narrative is embellished with realistic depictions of rubble-filled German cities, scavenging residents, and moral questions about Clara’s family ties to the Nazi regime. Fans of WWII fiction will be intrigued by Scott’s exploration of how war changes the moral compass of its victims. (Apr.)