The Blood Years

Set in late-1930s Czernowitz, this novel follows Frederieke, called Rieke, as war transforms life for her Romanian Jewish family. She lives with her mother, older sister Astra, and protective grandfather, while tensions and secrets shape family life. Soviet occupation brings strict food controls and neighbors who spy on one another. After the Nazis take control, Rieke’s family is forced into a crowded ghetto. Marcel’s medical work offers them temporary protection from deportation.