Cynthia Stella

Wasn't sure what to expect, as the subject matter, life in Nazi Germany, is so very difficult to do right by in contemporary fiction and it seems to have benn written for a YA or all ages audience. I was anticipating sentimentality, cliches, etc. But I was pleasantly surprised. The narrative approach, having Death serve as the omniscient narrator not only makes sense given the context, but it's so ingeniously used. The novel gets you emotional ly, as it should, and allows you to see how it might have been like to be a decent person in WWII Germany, without negating or downplaying the horror. Original writing.