Louisa Unger, a young German woman in Post-War World II Germany kills a man in cold blood. Despite her crime, her fate is up to her - give up her countrymen for her freedom. She decides to play the loyalty card and remain in prison.
During the interrogations, Louisa weaves her tale of the events by evading any real information. She relives reuniting with her estranged brother Freddy, falling in love with Kris, a former reconnaissance pilot and learning to fly to a plane. She recounts in fairy tale fashion of monsters cloaked in shadows and lessons learned by incorrigible children.
Seduced into the bliss of romance and flying, Louisa fails to recognize any threat. She grows immersed in the life of a smuggler, a pilot and a lover. It is hard to come back down to earth, when soaring so high.
Review:
Louisa Unger is a pilot in post-World War II Germany. She has been captured and now lingers in an American Military prison. However, Louisa is not being held for the murder of a fellow German, which she is clearly guilty of, but for transporting goods. To get out, Louisa must begin telling the U.S. Colonel, who also happens to be her mother's lover, the names of the people involved in the giving and receiving of goods that she has transported. Louisa weaves a tale of the past year of her life to the Colonel, telling him everything without giving away any of the details until she finds out that another life will be at stake.
This was a very interesting story about an even more interesting time in history. I was intrigued by Louisa, a female pilot, but the story ended up being so much more. I didn't really know much about Germany after the War, so learning about the conditions that the Germans had to face was eye-opening along with the Black Market Trade. Louisa's character grew throughout the story, she went from being a scared, naive girl to a brave, confident woman. Most of all though, this story is about the intricate relationships that people make. Some interesting relationships are Louisa and her brother Freddy, who Louisa obviously cares for deeply, but Freddy seems to be more self absorbed; Louisa and Freddy's relationship with their deceased father, a Luftwaffe pilot, both Louisa a Freddy fell into his profession and Louisa's relationship with Kris, a former reconnaissance pilot who now transports goods for Freddy, who Louisa fell hard and fast for. Overall, an insightful story about love, trust and relationships in a difficult time.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.