The German Girl

August 1, 2016
In 1939, the German ship St. Louis set sail from Hamburg for Havana carrying more than 900 passengers, most of them German Jewish refugees, escaping from the Nazi regime. Correa’s debut novel follows one of those passengers, a 12-year-old girl named Hannah Rosenthal, as she and her rich, influential family hope to start a new life in Havana. But when they arrive, the St. Louis and its passengers are refused entry. Hannah and her mother manage to debark, but most of the other passengers—including Hannah’s father and her best friend Leo—are forced to stay aboard. The ship’s passengers were refused entry into America and Canada as well, eventually forced to return to Europe. Seventy years later, Hannah’s grandniece receives a package from her elderly aunt, who is finally ready to tell her family’s story. Correa’s novel is a timely reminder of the plight of refugees, and the real consequences of denying them aid, but the story itself is lukewarm—a tragedy that never complicates or deviates from its expected trajectories. Hannah never stops pining for Leo, and she and her mother shun other Jewish people while simultaneously isolating themselves from Cuban life. There is also a noticeable lack of detail concerning Jewish culture. Though the novel covers an important piece of history, the story of the Rosenthals never quite comes together.

Set in Berlin, New York, and Havana, this ambitious debut novel spans 70-plus years as two girls tell their gripping stories in alternating chapters.We meet Hannah Rosenthal in 1939 Berlin. A lively 11-year-old, she likes to roam the city with her best friend, Leo. But the Nazis--Leo and Hannah call them the Ogres--are closing in, forcing Jewish families like the Rosenthals to flee. Anna Rosen, also 11, lives in contemporary New York City with her mother, who has become increasingly despondent since the death of her husband, Anna's father, on 9/11. His life was shrouded in mystery, and Anna is desperate to know more about him. Back in Germany, the Rosenthals set sail on the SS St. Louis, bound for Havana. The (real-life) St. Louis carries 937 passengers, most of them Jewish refugees, whom the Cuban government has promised to take in. But the Cubans renege, allowing only 28 people to come ashore. Those remaining are forced to return to Europe, where many perish. Hannah's father is among those turned away, but she and her mother, Alma, are allowed to emigrate. Havana, though, never feels like home; Alma, in particular, finds the heat--as well as the political climate--oppressive. Eventually, the Hannah and Anna narratives intersect with both characters getting at least some of what they long for. The parts of the book set in Berlin and aboard the St. Louis are powerful and affecting; the Cuban-born author (who hints the novel is based on his own family history) is particularly good at showing the despair of German Jews like Alma, who considered themselves profoundly German. By contrast, the Cuban scenes seem a little flat and drawn out, and the ending--with Hannah now an old woman--is unexpectedly maudlin. Still, this is a mostly well-told tale that sheds light on a sorrowful piece of Holocaust history. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from October 15, 2016

Hannah Rosenthal enjoys a privileged existence in 1930s Berlin, but the escalating actions of the Nazis, called "the Ogres" by Hannah and her friend Leo, force her family to flee to Cuba. Hannah's life in Berlin alternates with that of Anna, a fatherless 12-year-old in present-day New York City who receives a package of photographs from Havana. Once safely aboard the ocean liner St. Louis, Hannah and the other refugees are treated well by the German captain and crew. On arrival in Cuba, hopes of freedom are dashed when only 22 of the Jewish passengers, including Hannah and her mother, are allowed to disembark. Hannah's father and Leo are among the 907 refugees denied asylum who return to Europe to face certain death. Hannah's life in Cuba is difficult, and two decades after leaving Germany, she again faces danger with the rise of another dictator. The narrative concludes in 2014 as Anna and her mother travel to Cuba to meet her father's Great-Aunt Hannah. VERDICT People en Espanol editor-in-chief Correa bases his debut novel on the real-life account of the ill-fated 1939 voyage of the St. Louis, delivering an engrossing and heartbreaking Holocaust story; his listing of the passengers' names at the end of the book adds to its power. [See Prepub Alert, 7/18/16; an ALA Buzz Book.]--Catherine Coyne, Mansfield P.L., MA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.