A story about two children, Hanno and Effi, who are fleeing war-torn Germany, and neither trusts the other. It touches upon the horrific aspects of war – including the death of Hanno’s twin brother Wolfgang, and the rape of one of their travelling companions – without being needlessly graphic.

The antagonists are well done – Major Otto is a cartoon villain, but perhaps the bigger monster is the soft-spoken doctor who’s revealed to be a Nazi doctor and child eugenicist. It’s a reminder that evil can wear a respectable face.

I enjoyed it, insofar as you can enjoy a book about horrific events, but it struggled to hold my attention at times.

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