Touching the Wire by Rebecca Bryn

Hauntingly Brilliant

I can't remember the last time a book touched me like this one. I've always been fascinated by the holocaust and read a lot of books with the goal of trying to see what makes a human being do the kinds of things the SS did. What makes someone so evil? Fear. That's basically what this book boils down to. It was my first time reading one about someone from the other side of the war, an SS doctor. He is not evil. In fact, he does everything he thinks he can to save those under his watch. But his fear kept him from doing more. Walt went through a lot during his time working at aushwitz. He was tasked with doctoring many who were destined to die anyway. I think the book called it one of Germany's great contradictions. Years, later his granddaughter is on a quest to learn the truth of his past using clues he has left and memories of those he once loved. What she discovers will change her entire world and make her question everything she knows about the man she so revered. The story features many flashbacks that create a heartbreaking look into life in the camp. It's hard to read but you can't tear your eyes away. The characters have such an astounding resilience. Even the SS doctor is endearing and you finding yourself rooting for him despite your desire to hate him. In these pages you fall in love and then find yourself broken again and again. I won't soon forget this book. The story is sure to haunt me.