The Porcelain Maker - Sarah Freethy
Publication Date: November 7, 2023
She read.
In 1929 Germany, Bettina, an avant garde artist and Max, a Jewish architect, fall in love. As they realize what is happening in their country and the danger that lies within, they plot their escape. When their plan is foiled, Max is sent to Dachau and Bettina finds herself pregnant. To save her baby, she marries a rising officer in the SS. While at Dachau, Max’s skills are put to use in the porcelain factory opened there to promote the Nazi ideal. Bettina’s daughter, Clara, grows up not knowing who her father was and, in 1993, she and her own daughter set out to discover his identity. The timelines shift back and forth between the 1930s and the lives of Bettina and Max and Clara’s 1993 journey of discovery.
This debut offer is well plotted, beautifully written, and deeply affecting. I found myself wanting to race through to find out what happens.The book raises intriguing questions : What would one do to protect loved ones? What will one risk to express outrage through art? What painful stories should be shared? What are the differences among sacrifice, preservation, and complicity? I have read quite a bit of World War II historical fiction, especially those focusing on the Nazi atrocities. With its focus on the role of the porcelain factory in advancing their propaganda, this was a unique perspective and I learned quite a bit. Even though I have visited Dachau, I wasn’t aware of this factory being a part of it.
There are a lot of World War II era historical fiction stories; I like to find those with varying foci. What they all have in common, though, is that I see them as warnings for our time. We need to never forget man’s inhumanity to man and atrocities committed in the name of hate. We need to be sensitive to the dangers of cult like figures, hatred, and how easy it is for the unthinkable to become reality or a nation to be led astray.
Thanks to #netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC
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