Leaving Fatherland is journalist Matt Graydon’s debut novel and begins in Halbe, Germany during the inter-war period and is set against the rise of the Nazis. We are introduced to Oskar Bachmann, a shy schoolboy desperate to gain his father’s approval but often falling short and instead earning his father’s fury because of his lack of enthusiasm for the Hitler Youth.

Herr Bachmann was a brilliant pilot in the Great War and an admirer of Adolf Hitler, often encouraging his two boys to join the Hitler Youth. Oskar’s mother, liberal and with a healthy hatred of National Socialism instead encourages Oskar to indulge his love of books which he does with his friend who is tragically driven to suicide as ‘subversive’ titles are banned.

Oskar must flee to New York where he can complete his pyschology studies, but here the mystery of the novel begins. Who is his landlord, Aleks, and why does he seem to know so much about Oskar? After discovering that his father has been killed mysteriously, he must return home to uncover the circumstances.

Leaving Fatherland takes the reader back to a time of division and Graydon captures perfectly the moral quandaries so many went through when loyalty to the Fuhrer was paramount. Carefully written, it shows the political views of the period and the impact the Nazis had on families and indeed communities across Germany.

With beautiful descriptions of rural Brandenberg in the East, and genuine characters Graydon portrays iconic historical events with a delicate touch to create a compelling depiction of a family divided by the tragedy of the 1930s. With the current tumultuous events, Leaving Fatherland is a timely story that will move the reader.

Leaving Fatherland by Matt Graydon is out now. Georgie Walls is an Editorial Assistant at Aspects of History.