Well welcome to a dose of reality. I sincerly love the variety of the books I read. Keeps things entertaining. And boy, this book was a great read. So real. So blunt. Not sugar coated but not overexaggerated at all. It made you understand (if you don't already) how it feels to be different. But beyond that - so much further beyond that - it really put into perspective the reality of World War Two and the Holocaust from a German perspective. Absolutely fascinating and very emotional.
The author was just outright honest. Gestapo came into people's homes. Gestapo beat Jews in the streets. People actually believed Hitler was going to liberate them. This was how it was. No gore, no exaggerating, no glossing it over. Just pure this is what happened and this is how it was dealt with.
Stones from the River follows a dwarfed woman named Trudi from her birth to her late adulthood. It explores her relationship with people in her town and her coming to terms with her difference. Spanning from World War One through World War Two in a small German town, Trudi offers insight into all of the characters living in her neighborhood and how they each coped with her, with their secrets and with the war. She got into the psychological issues each person deals with through her ability to make herself seem innocent and allow people to divulge their secrets to her. She comes to discover that each person has something that sets them apart from the other, although it may not be as visible as her own.
She explores the nuances in people's attitudes toward Hitler and the extermination of their Jewish neighbors who at one time were close friends and suddenly in some townspeople's eyes were the enemy. Then she notes the denial of the Hitler believer's behavior after the war is over so that they avoid persecution.
The entire book is incredibly insightful. It seems like it is long when you look at it but the read goes by quickly because there is such variety in the characters. It mainly revolves around Trudi but it also goes into the lives of everyone in the town. If you are interested in the Holocaust from a German perspective or just looking for a good read (kind of similar to Our Town but much more detailed) Stones from the River is the book for you.
