The Other Me by Saskia Sarginson

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for a complicated father/daughter relationship, maybe it was the WW2 elements, I'm not sure. But I devoured it and wished that there was more! Either way I look forward to reading another book from this author. 

This story is told between three points of view: Klaudia, a high school student with a German father who may or may not have been part of Hitler's crew, Eliza, a dancer who has to face up to her past, and Ernst, a young man who eventually joins the war along with his brother, regardless of his stance on it. There is a lot to dissect here, but it's hard to do without giving away the story, so I'll try to keep this review vague for those who want to read it. 

One thing that stuck with me about this book is that it begs the question, how much of our family history do we take responsibility for? With the movie about Ted Bundy (played by Zac Efron) that recently came out on Netflix, we see the guilt that his girlfriend at the time bears. She felt as though she could have done more and possibly saved those girls lives. It would be easy to see why she'd feel as if their blood was on her hands-- even though she was not the one who killed them. The Other Me gives us the daughter of a Nazi soldier. Should she feel guilty about some of the unspeakable things that her father may or may not have done during the war? Is it better for him as a parent to keep her wondering her whole life, or should he face up to his past for the sake of his family? 

There of course is a connection between the three characters, one that is given away toward the middle of the book, and the other not until closer to the end. Even though I was able to figure it out pretty early on, it didn't take away from the story at all. There was also a romance, because isn't there always? And it was sweet but not overly pushy. It wasn't really the point of the story and the author used it as an additive not a focal point, which I liked. I would definitely recommend this book to patrons looking for a good read with some historical basis.