CarolG's Reviews > The Sunflower House

Unpopular opinion here.

The Sunflower House is a historical novel about the notorious Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. Women considered to be racially valuable stayed in Lebensborn homes for the sole purpose of perpetuating the Aryan population, giving birth to thousands of babies who were then adopted out to “good” Nazi families. Social events took place in the homes where these girls could meet "elite" men of the SS and hopefully produce even more children. In other times and places, this would be considered a brothel.

This story is mostly about Allina, a young German girl who is forced to work as a nurse in a Lebensborn home after losing her family during a raid of her small village by German soldiers. She eventually comes under the protection of Karl, a high-ranking SS officer, and after some time they undertake a program to rehabilitate those children in the home who are developmentally or physically delayed and whose future we are left to guess at.

Although I found the story interesting, I didn't enjoy the romance angle and, to be honest, I was expecting much more from the book in the way of historical information. I felt that much of the history was skimmed over and I actually didn't realize what Karl's duties with the SS entailed until I searched out information on the internet. Even though it seems that he was one of the "good" ones, he still had to follow orders, the results of which were heartbreaking. The ending had me choking back tears, as did the Author's Note. Other reviewers have rated this book much higher than me so my review should be taken with a grain of salt.

TW: Rape, eugenics, anti-semitism

Thank you to Sara Eslami of St. Martin's Publishing Group, for inviting me to read an advance copy of this novel via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: November 12, 2024