Rating: ★★★★
Genre: YA lit, alternate history, lgbt lit, dystopia
Synopsis: Germany won World War II, and England is now one of its biggest supporters. Jessika is, too, and always will be. She lives for her country. And her best friend Clementine, too. But where Jessika is restrained and obedient, Clementine is radical and outspoken. When Jessika’s world comes crashing down, she must make a choice: she cannot have both.
Review: This is a book that I simultaneously enjoyed and feel confused about. Jessika is such a convincing and strong character, all of the characters have just so much conviction–and yet it feels strange to not only entertain and alternative history that leads to Nazi Germany still being in existence today, but it also feels weird to follow a protagonist who, at the beginning, is so clearly on the wrong side of history.
But I feel like these narratives are so needed, despite any of my apprehension. Yes, we love our radicals, but what about our protagonists who realize that what they’ve been doing their whole lives is wrong? The protagonists who commit little, tiny acts of treason every now and then, who long for the chance to rebel but are too afraid to.
As Jessika and Clementine grow up, the farther they grow apart. Where Clementine is straight, open, and radical, Jessika is a lesbian, demure, and conservative. And all Jessika wants to do is keep Clementine safe–and if that means observing her and reporting her, then so be it.
This whole book was just incredible and intriguing and chronologically fascinating as timelines are weaved with each other, compounding upon each other to build tension. And even the ending is something both satisfying and disturbing–Jessika comes out safe, and yet so many of her dreams and wants are deferred…which she’s okay with, because she knows its her penance. And yet even within that frame of disturbing reclamation of her homeland, she finds revolution and rebellion in found books that may or may not have been banned years ago.
Sometimes, we must make do with what we have, and we must make do while keeping ourselves safe. It’s a hard lesson to learn, especially when I feel that we as a society are now so used to the trend of strong female protags who take down an evil regime with the help of her friends.
Overall, this book is well worth the read. It’s intriguing, it makes you think, it offers a scary look at what could have been–and what may be today in the United States.
little lady librarian 