“The House by the Lake” is a unique reading experience - an experience that takes the reader full circle. Harding tells the story of a house by a lake that in some ways, should only be interesting to him and his family. What develops is a connection to a place that spans generations. From original owners, through the Nazi era and the erection and destruction of the Berlin Wall, to very recent memories of teenagers parties, squatters and dereliction, the book tells the story of a house that meant an enormous amount to (nearly) all who lived there.

Harding’s book isn’t always easy to read and there are moments where continuing feels pointless but if there’s one thing I’ve learnt from doing family history research it’s to keep going. Just because what you’re looking at seems futile, doesn’t mean the breakthrough isn’t moments away. Some reviews criticise the book as one might a work of fiction “nowhere as interesting...as you’d expect”, or delegitimize what is years of work and research and expense by saying it’s “no great feat”. One review goes so far as to say, “very disappointing stories of unremarkable people”.

Negative reviews, like the ones above, disregard the fact that these people were all trying to live their lives under circumstances that we can all agree, were less than ideal. They do not owe us, the modern reader, anything and it certainly not the right of any modern reader to imply they do. Where history is always written by the victors, it is actually a nice change to read a book about people who just wanted to survive, live good lives and have a family. The fact that most of them were able to do exactly this is a testament to the human spirit.