Otti's Escape

As the German troops march in to the city, ten year old Othilie escapes the clutches of the Nazis unharmed, or so it seems...

During the post war euphoria of new possibilities and freedoms, Othilie decides to marry the wealthy Fredrik Holst. In spite of a warning from their mutual friend Bernard before the wedding, insinuating that Fred has a mistress, their marriage flourishes and they establish a beautiful home together and bring up three children.

However, Otti soon discovers that her freedom comes at a price. As their relationship becomes increasingly acrimonious, Fred finally goes too far and finds himself in a position where he can no longer return to their home. Finding comfort in her old friend Bernard, she marries him and tries to move on, but disaster strikes and Otti’s inability to conceal her grief throws open the door on the charade that is supposed to be her new love. As her family disintegrates around her, the echoes of her flight from the Nazi invasion ring down through the years, as again Otti has to flee her home one night. With her daughter missing and her husband lost to alcohol, will she be able to escape her fate this time?

“I am fascinated by people’s concepts of absolutes, of ‘truth’ and ‘reality’. Are humans inherently different or are we all just ‘flawed angels’? These are the questions I like to explore with my characters and the situations they encounter”, says Marianne about the inspiration behind her book, Otti’s Escape.