Skeletons at the Feast, takes place during the time of the Second World War, a fascinating tale that is told from various points of view. The author, Chris Bohjalian constructs the final days of the war on the Eastern Front, and details what it was like for civilians under the Nazi rule to be fleeing the pursuing Red Army.
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The main characters of the book are a wealthy Prussian family the Emmerichs and their eighteen year old daughter Anna. They have been supporters of Hitler and the Third Reich. For three years the war has been a German offensive towards the Russians, but now the tide has turned and the Red Army is closing in on the German State. The Emmerich family is forced to flee and head to the British and American lines in the West.
While the family is in route they will meet a few unlikely and interesting characters. One such character is a Scottish prisoner of war who was sent as a field laborer, instead of being held at a prisoner of war camp. He and young Anna will have an affair and the author will go into great detail describing this forbidden love.
Overall this book is about the lives of refugees fleeing a war, it talks about their past lives and how war can drastically change people and their situations.
Best part of story, including ending:
The book show that the human spirit is moldable and that events can reshape the human conscience.
Best scene in story:
The various characters meet during the flee from the Red Army. One such character is a Jewish man who escape a concentration camp and is disguised as a German soldier.
Opinion about the main character:
Anna is a young woman with youthful desires, although war is raging and she is forced to flee this does not make her any less human. Shows that even during difficult times that human nature can remain the same.
