Author: David Gillham

Publisher: Penguin Books

First published: 2013

Setting: Berlin, Germany
Read in February 2014

My Rating ★★★★  4.1

My Waterstones Review

“A gripping debut novel, realistically written”

In Berlin 1943, the Eastern Front is in retreat, Goebbels is looking for ‘Total War’, Jews are being rounded up and air raids by the Tommies are creating a ruin of the city, for everybody it is now a matter of survival.

Sigrid Schröder, a stenographer with husband on the Eastern Front is made to face a difficult choice whether to defend (or not) young Ericha Kohl from the hands of plain clothes SiPo (Security Police). Her choice draws her into the world of hiding Jews and others escaping the Nazi regime and will encounter a mother and her two daughters who she believes is the wife and family of her Jewish lover, a second choice, denounce (or not).

City of Women seems very real, difficult choices made by ordinary women in difficult times. Although Sigrid seems to have a death wish she does not come across as reckless, but calculated, sizing up who can be trusted, who not, with this theme running and gripping the reader through to the end. The extraordinary achievement by our author is that this debut novel is written by a man, convincingly taking a woman’s story.

Book Review

Early in 1943 the German 6th Army has surrendered in Stalingrad and doubts are beginning to grow on the outcome of the war. Goebbels’ propaganda machine calls for ‘Total War’ and in Berlin Jews are being rounded-up.  Against this backdrop we find Sigrid Schröder, a stenographer, living with her mother in law while her husband, Kasper, is fighting on the Eastern Front. Her life seems tough, living off meager rations that is made into soup, frequent air raids by the Tommies, nights spent in the basement with the other residents of the apartment block and evenings spent in a small flat avoiding her mother in law who despises her for not providing her with a grandchild, her duty as a married woman.

Sigrid often escapes to the cinema and here she meets a man who is to become her lover, Egon, a Jewish lover. Here she also befriends Ericha Kohl who is the young duty-year girl for her neighbour Frau Granzinger and her six children; Mrs Granzinger had been awarded the Mother’s Cross. Ericha is being pursued by plain clothes officers of the SiPo (Security Police) and desperately asks Sigrid to help her. This is the first difficult choice that we see Sigrid make, help Ericha or be a good German. Sigrid starts to help Ericha who is working in an undercover network hiding Jews, deserters and others escaping the Nazi regime and in fear of their lives. Against advice Sigrid is drawn to a Jewish mother, Anna Weiss from Vienna, and her two young daughters, she is sure that they are the wife and family of Egon, if she betrays them she could have Egon for herself.

City of Women paints a realistic view of life in Berlin at this time and from this aspect is on a par with the detective novels of Philip Kerr (Bernie Gunther stories). What I found extraordinary about this book is that it is a debut novel written by a man, and convincingly taking a woman’s story. It feels that difficult choices are made by ordinary women every day. Who can you trust? There are party members and servants of the Police and Gestapo everywhere, many are willing to become an informant in order to avoid torture and imprisonment, and if someone is breaking the law then recriminations will be felt by family members. For the poor Jew they are just as likely to be denounced by another Jew employed as a Catcher. The theme on who to trust and who can be used drives the book through to its end, it is certainly gripping.