BOOK BY: Naomi Musch
I love reading historical fiction for the simple fact that I learn something new. Season of My Enemy by Naomi Musch focuses on the German POWs that were shipped to America to be held in PW camps. When the war efforts grew long leaving women at home to farm and keep the army fed, German prisoners were hired out to help farm and keep agriculture going. It’s a fascinating piece of history that I don’t recall ever hearing of before.
The story takes place in Wisconsin on the O’Brien farm. Father is dead, and two brothers are missing in action overseas. Fannie and her youngest brother Jerry work to keep the farm running, but without the rest of the family or their migrant workers, it’s next to impossible to keep up with the demands of farming. Mother hires PWs, the very army their family is fighting against, to keep the farm running.
There is interesting tension and conflict aplenty to keep readers engaged in Fannie’s world as the German soldiers begin work on the farm. There is mistrust on both sides and a language barrier that causes strain between characters. An American guard is the only translator and responsible for keeping the O’Brien’s safe. The characters are believable and give readers insight to the humanity of the German military of WW2. Often they are painted with the same brush, but this novel provides a refreshing take on who these men were.
I enjoyed this novel in the Heroines of WW2 series by Barbour, and look forward to reading more books in the series.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.