Based on the authorβs discoveries about her great-grandfather, this stunning debut novel that βpowerfully portrays the inner struggles of ordinary people moved to do extraordinary thingsβ (Booklist) takes place over three days during World War II when members of a German family must make βthe sometimes impossible choice between family and moralityβ (Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrewβs Last Stand).
When World War II breaks out, Edith and Oskar Eberhardt move their familyβtheir daughter, Marina; son-in-law, Franz; and their granddaughtersβout of Berlin to the quiet town of Blumental, near Switzerland. A member of the Fuhrerβs cabinet, Oskar is gone most of the time, and Franz begins fighting in the war, so the women of the house are left to their quiet lives in the village.
But life in Blumental isnβt as idyllic as it appears. An egotistical Nazi captain terrorizes the citizens heβs assigned to protect. Neighbors spy on each other. Some mysteriously disappear. Marina has a lover who also has close ties to her family and the government. Thinking none of them share her hatred of the Reich, she joins a Protestant priest smuggling Jewish refugees over the nearby Swiss border. The latest βpackageβ is two Polish girls, and against her better judgment, Marina finds she must hide them in the Eberhardtβs cellar. Everything is set to go smoothly until Oskar comes home with the news that the FΓΌhrer will be visiting the area for a concert, and he will be making a house call on the Eberhardts.
βWith jaw-clenching suspense and unexpected tendernessβ (Jacquelyn Mitchard), The Good at Heart is an βengagingβ¦richβ¦evocativeβ (Library Journal) portrait of a family torn between doing their duty for their country and doing whatβs right, especially for those they love.