TRIGGER WARNING: graphic Nazi brutality and Holocaust detail
Inge is separated from her family once the cattle truck arrives at its destination. She is taken to a brutal prison until she is moved to a concentration camp. Rudi is an SS officer who takes charge of the camp. He is beginning to doubt the Nazi ideology and his own perception of the world…
To Dream Of Shadows is an historical novel set during WW2. It is exceedingly good but also very upsetting at times. It is based on a true story which adds poignancy to the plot and characters.
I was totally absorbed by the beginning of the book as Inge and Rudi adjust to their circumstances. Both Inge and Rudi are portrayed sympathetically despite their radically different experiences of the Holocaust. Inge’s determination to survive is inspirational whilst Rudi’s twisted ideology is gradually eroded.
The two main characters do not meet until half way through the book when Rudi has started to question the validity of seeing Jews as subhuman and Inge acts on impulse showing her humanity. I felt that the romance of the second half of the book was of secondary importance to me compared with the devastating detail of the horrendous experiences in the camp. The ending left me with questions but also with a sense of hope.
The mix of casual abuse against the hideous torture is carefully balanced. Daily beatings and the exhaustion from being worked to death are described with haunting authenticity. The use of the Box is very distressing but I think it is so important to acknowledge the trauma of the past. The fact that this is based on a true story is fascinating as well as awful, and the author offers his research on the topic at the end of the book.
To Dream Of Shadows was absolutely gripping and I was totally immersed in the lives of the characters.
Blurb
She will save hundreds of lives. But can she save her own?
Inspired by a previously untold true story.
1943. 18-year-old Czech, Inge is torn from her family and imprisoned in some godforsaken hellhole. There, she suffers month after month of torturous labor while praying for liberation by the Allies. But rescue never comes. And her dream of surviving the war dies.
Heinz, an SS Sergeant, has been force-fed the Reich’s poison since childhood, but nowadays, he covertly helps prisoners.
So when a random act of kindness thrusts Inge and Heinz together, they can’t resist being drawn to one another. Unable to deny their feelings, they dare to dream of a future, a life — together.
But their relationship does not go unnoticed. For Inge and Heinz, falling in love becomes a death sentence. And not just for them, but for all those they care about.
Unless…
Inge makes an unthinkable sacrifice.
Set during history’s darkest hour, “To Dream Of Shadows” is an epic tale of compassion, sacrifice, and the strength of the human spirit.
Discover one of the most heartwarming, heartbreaking, and heroic tales of the Holocaust. Discover “To Dream Of Shadows”.
Apart from animals and writing, Steve’s passion is travel. He’s visited 60 countries and enjoyed some amazing experiences, including cage-diving with great white sharks, sparring with a monk at a Shaolin temple, and watching a turtle lay eggs on a moonlit beach. He’s explored Machu Picchu, Pompeii, and the Great Wall of China, yet for all that, he’s a man of simple tastes — give him an egg sandwich and the TV remote control, and he’ll be happy for hours!
He lives in the North of England with his partner, Ania, and two black cats who arrived in the garden one day and liked it so much, they stayed. Graciously, the cats allow Steve and Ania to stay in ‘their’ house.
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