The Ragged Edge of Night

 

Anton Starzmann is a Franciscan friar and teacher living in Stuttgart, Germany when World War II starts. He is displaced when the school where he works is seized by the Nazis and the students are taken away.

He moves to the small town of Unterboihingen and marries Elisabeth Herter, a widow with three children (Albert, Paul and Maria). Things are awkward at first. This marriage is supposed to be in name only because Elisabeth needs help caring for the children, but Anton and Elisabeth discover later they love each other.

Anton becomes involved in the Red Orchestra, a Nazi resistance group, and keeping the Nazis from finding out what he is doing is a challenge. One challenge in particular is the creepy Bruno Franke, a Nazi party member who watches for and reports resistance. Ultimately the resistance succeeds.

What I liked: The historical setting is interesting, and the author's descriptions of the surroundings are good. I like the interaction between the characters, particularly between Anton and the children. Anton is very focused on doing his best for Albert, Paul and Maria, and this helps ease the pain he feels about losing the children he taught. I didn't care for Elisabeth at first. However, it becomes clear as the story goes on that she has been through a hard time and is doing her best for her children during a time when women didn't have a lot of options.

What I wondered about: I can't imagine marrying someone you have never met and don't love, but there was a time when people married for reasons other than love, such as financial security or to combine powerful families. Also, the story focuses mostly on the characters (Anton particularly) and their thoughts. There isn't a lot of action. This isn't necessarily always a bad thing, but in this case it makes things go slowly at times. Stories work better when there is conflict in my opinion. There is conflict between Anton and Bruno Franke, and between Elisabeth and Anton about the resistance but it is mostly talk. The war is going on around the characters and the town, not actually where they are.

I like, don't love The Ragged Edge of Night, and this isn't a book I care about reading again.