All the Broken Places: A Novel

You cant prepare yourself for the magnitude and emotional impact of this powerful novel. John Irving From the New York Times bestselling author John Boyne, a stunning tour de force about a woman who must confront the sins of her own terrible past, and a present in which it is never too late for bravery Ninety-one-year-old Gretel Fernsby has lived in the same well-to-do mansion block in London for decades. She lives a quiet, comfortable life, despite her deeply disturbing, dark past. She doesnt talk about her escape from Nazi Germany at age twelve. She doesnt talk about the grim postwar years in France with her mother. Most of all, she doesnt talk about her father, who was the commandant of one of the Reichs most notorious extermination camps. Then, a new family moves into the apartment below her. In spite of herself, Gretel cant help but begin a friendship with the little boy, Henry, though his presence brings back memories she would rather forget. One night, she witnesses a disturbing, violent argument between Henrys beautiful mother and his arrogant father, one that threatens Gretels hard-won, self-contained existence. Immersive, chilling, unputdownable, All the Broken Places moves back and forth in time between Gretels girlhood in Germany and present-day London. Here, Gretel is at a similar crossroads to the one she encountered long ago. Then, she denied her own complicity, but now, faced with a chance to interrogate her guilt, grief, and remorse, she can choose to save a young boy. If she does, she will be forced to reveal the secrets she has spent a lifetime protecting. This time, she can make a different choice than beforewhatever the cost to herself.