The Aftermath is a superb book, exploring the pain and confusion of grief, love, betrayal and reconciliation in the aftermath of the 2nd World War. Brilliantly written and an education into post-war Germany too. Read it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not my usual genre but so glad I gave it a shot. This is the story of a family being relocated in Hamburg after the war. The father is a Colonel in the army and has been given a house that was the home of a German architect and his daughter. He is supposed to billet them in a camp but decides the house is big enough for both families. His wife and son arrive in Hamburg following the death of their older son in a bombing in Wales. The wife and son have a different attitude to having Germans living in the same house. This book takes us through the journeys that the characters go through to find a way to cohabit, the changes in their attitudes and the stresses that they are subjected to by others in their social circle. I found this story drew me in and found it hard to put down. In fact took it to work for lunchtimes too. Very powerful yet gentle. Excellent read.

Before you think that this is just another World War 2 book, then think again. Based on the author’s Grandfathers real story of how he let the German family who lived in the house that was requisitioned for him as an officer during the resettlement of Germany after the war. The Colonel in this novel lets the widowed German architect and his daughter remain living in the house where he is about to move into with his wife and son. This is frowned upon by the other British families as they believe all Germans are bad and deserve what they get, even if it means throwing them out of their homes and separating families, it’s what they deserve. Of course this was nonsense, the ordinary German person suffered a great deal during the war and this “experiment” of the two families living together shows this. This is a remarkable book, well written, if sometimes a bit over wordy in places, and I really liked it. I think this would be a good choice for reading groups.

This is an easy read, a story taking place in 1946 in Allied-occupied Germany, specifically in Hamburg, where the central character is the local British Army Governor sent to administer the occupation. It is the story of his attempts to respect the defeated German population and work with them instead of against them. It is also the story of his family coming to live with him and sharing their home with the German family to whom it belongs. It’s about the pressures that all of them are under after they have suffered grief and family loss during the armed conflict. It is well-written and engaging: you want to know how things will develop. There is unfortunately a spoiler on the front cover which is not necessary and spoils the eventual outcome of how the various characters interact. It gives an excellent perspective of what it might have been like to live in occupied Germany after the defeat of the Nazi regime and the particular circumstances in which the characters find themselves are based on a true story experienced by the author’s grandfather. Suitable for anyone who wants an interesting, easy and fulfilling read.