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Ilse’s Fate

By David Solmitz '65

Ilse’s Fate
  • Publisher: Page Publishing
  • Available in: Paperback, Kindle
  • Published: July 8, 2015
Amazon

The novel Ilse’s FateĀ takes place in Germany between 1913 and 1945. It incorporates my parents’ experience, their family and friends’ experiences before and during the Nazi Holocaust. The thesis of this fictional tale is that we are all endowed with seeds for good and evil behaviors. Sometimes conditions including insecurity enhance latent bad behavior. For some horrendous conditions evoke good and courageous action. Living a secluded childhood at a manor until age six, until the family lost their estate during World War One, Ilse and her unwelcoming, widowed father move into a small Munich apartment. As a young teenager seeking confidence and acceptance among her peers to survive in a hostile world, she becomes involved in the Nazi movement. Coexisting conflicts between good and evil within her, lead Ilse into heart wrenching experiences that eventually destroy her both emotionally and physically. Throughout the novel she encounters good people as well as uncouth and depraved individuals. The Epilogue documents what transpired to those in Ilse’s Fate who survived the Nazi/Holocaust era. The Afterword details how the experiences of the real people are portrayed through specific characters in the novel. For example, I show how my father’s Report on Dachau, describing his experience as a prisoner at the concentration camp, is portrayed in the story, as well as its impact on his life after Dachau. From the author.


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