Feb. 11, 2025
By Layla Lundholm
Staff Writer
She was just a teenager. Nobody knows about her past. Nobody should and nobody will.
Ninety-one-year-old widow Gretel Fernsby, the protagonist in the historical fiction novel “All the Broken Places” by John Boyne, has lived through traumatizing events.
The daughter of a concentration camp commander, Gretel was born in Berlin, Germany in 1931. Decades later, she still struggles with the burden of her father’s past and feels guilty for having loved him.
Following the end of World War II and her father’s execution, Gretel, who was a teenager by then, and her mother escaped to Paris in search of a better life and a fresh start. This meant they had to hide every German aspect of themselves and try to fit in, which included never speaking about their previous lives.
As the novel progresses, readers will feel empathetic towards Gretel and be eager to accompany her on her complicated journey that bridges past and present.
At a young age, Gretel had to deal with the looming threat that the authorities could catch her.
When she first escaped to Paris with her mother, they had to hide their German accents. Sometimes they accidentally let their accents slip, which would have revealed their identities.
Gretel currently resides in London, England after having lived in four countries. For many years, she has lived alone in Flat 2, and when her neighbor in Flat 1 dies, she must acclimate to new neighbors.
She hates thinking about her past and is uncomfortable around children because they remind her of her deceased brother, whose death she feels responsible for.
When nine-year-old Henry moves into the flat below hers, Gretel becomes nervous. She is also wary of Henry’s dad, Alex Darcy-Witt, who is a movie director with a raging temper.
Written from Gretel’s perspective, every chapter of the novel switches between her current life and her youth. This adds an element of suspense, as each chapter concludes with a cliffhanger.
As the novel progresses, readers will feel empathetic towards Gretel and be eager to accompany her on her complicated journey that bridges past and present.
At 383 pages, “All the Broken Places” is lengthy and requires close attention. However, those interested in historical fiction will find it to be a gripping and thought-provoking read.
