Many thanks to NetGalley and John Hunt Publishing/Top Hat Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this historical fiction novel based on true events by Sylvia True - 4.5 stars for a disturbing look into our past.
This story is of one family's generational experience with mental issue. In Germany in the 1930s, we learn about Inga and her sister, Rigmor, who suffers from depressive psychosis. Inga is passionate about reading and exploring various treatments and diagnoses that could possibly help Rigmor. That leads her to Arnold, a psychologist who is willing to step in and treat Rigmor, while also becoming a close friend. In Boston in the 1980s, Inga's granddaughter, Sabine, is also suffering a similar diagnosis and is hospitalized in an institution, away from her baby daughter. Inga has been keeping so many things secret that now threaten Sabine's future.
The horrors of Hitler's racism never seem to have a bottom. I had no clue that experiments were performed on mentally ill or depressed people in that era were the precursor to gas chambers. Forced sterilizations are not in the too-distant past of the US either. While mental illness treatment has come a long way, there is still much stigma involved. Certainly the characters in this book suffered that stigma, being put down and threatened with losing their children because of seeking treatment.
This book is wonderfully written and is based on the author's true family experiences. You will be drawn into this story of strong women in a time of unbelievable horrors. It's also a cautionary tale about family secrets serving no one. Let's hope that bringing these stories to light helps prevent the atrocities of the past.
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