A novel tackling family loyalty and broader ethics.

Rudolf Stefan Jan Weigl (2 September 1883–11 August 1957) was a Polish biologist, physician, and inventor known for creating the first effective vaccine against epidemic typhus.He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine during the 1930s.Weigl worked during the Holocaust to save the lives of countless Jews by developing the vaccine for typhus and providing shelter to protect those suffering under the Nazi Germans in occupied Poland.

Przemyśl is a city in southeastern Poland.The Battle of Przemyśl took place between 11 and 14 September 1939, during the German Invasion of Poland.The Polish Army garrison of the former Austrian fortress of Przemyśl managed to halt the advance of the Wehrmacht until 14 September.The vast majority of the city's Jewish population was deported across the San River into the portion of Poland that was occupied by the Soviet Union.

Pingley POW camp was used to house mainly Italian prisoners of war, though Germans were also held there.After the war, the camp was used as an emergency sheltered housing called Pingley Farm Hostel.

Halbe is a municipality in the Dahme-Spreewald district of Brandenburg, Germany. Halbe was the site of the Battle of Halbe during the final days of WWII. Tübingen and Gottingen are university cities Germany. Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.From 5 July 1933 to 19 January 1934 the Kemna concentration camp was established in Wuppertal.

Derna is a port city in eastern Libya.On 6 April 1941, German forces retook the city from the British, and on 15 November 1942, British forces recaptured it.Mersa Matruh is a port in Egypt.The Battle of Mersa Matruh was fought from 26 to 29 June 1942.

Blind loyalty can lead to familial dysfunction.Unfortunately, blind family loyalties typically occur unconsciously, unbeknownst to the follower, and done in an effort to maintain peace and homeostasis within the family. Loyalty usually begins in early childhood to win parental love, approval, and acceptance.Ongoing contradiction to who we are or failing to be true to ourselves can lead to resentment, depression, animosity, and guilt.

Based upon true family history, Leaving Fatherland, although historical fiction, rings so real, true and crammed with facts, that it reads much like a memoir. The story follows the life of Oskar Bachmann, a German boy , and how he experiences the rise of Nazi power juxtaposed against the beatings he took at home being the victim of his father’s inner rage and alcoholism. Oskar the child, was academically inclined ,and a voracious reader with dreams of studying psychology in order to unravel the forces behind his fathers cruelty.

Oskar leaves Germany to study in New York where he struggles to fit in, always feeling that he is being followed. When a horrible accident occurs and Oskar is blamed, his life goes into a downward spiral where his only salvation is to return to Germany and become a Luftwaffe pilot.

As the years progress and Oskar faces his old age and his own death, he longs for answers to the unsolved mysteries in his life. . Matt Graydon does a yeoman’s job of bringing Oskar and all the supporting characters to life with descriptive language so detailed and realistic that I eagerly read on waiting for the revelations that finally brought closure. This debut novel had me in its grasp from the very beginning. It’s not your ordinary war story, nor is it focused only on Nazi Germany. Four brilliant stars for an immersive read and an author I will follow carefully. Many thanks to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Milner Publishers for gifting me an advance readers copy in exchange for my review. It will be available on August 20, 2024. You can order it now.

I didn't enjoy this book. Oskar is in a dysfunctional family in 1930s Germany. Life worsens as Hitler takes power. Oskar's father beats him. His mother keeps secrets. At the end, he gains insight, but I found the whole book depressing.