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The Matchbox Girl: Lose yourself in this autumn's most captivating historical novel
Not yet published
Expected 6 Jan 26From the multi-award-winning author - a beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel telling the story of a young girl's battle for survival and search for the truth in occupied Vienna
Adelheid Brunner does not speak. She writes and draws instead and her ambition is to own one thousand matchboxes. Her grandmother cannot make sense of this, but Adelheid will stop at nothing to achieve her dream. She makes herself invisible, hiding in cupboards with her pet rat, Franz Joseph, listening in on conversations she can't fully comprehend.
Then she meets Dr Asperger, a man who lets children play all day and who recognises the importance of matchboxes. He invites Adelheid to come and live at the Vienna paediatric clinic, where she and other children like herself will live under observation.
But the date is 1938 and the place is Vienna – a city of political instability, a place of increasing fear and violence. When the Nazis march into the city, a new world is created and difficult choices must be made.
Why are the clinic's children disappearing, and where do they go? Adelheid starts to suspect that some of Dr Asperger's games are played for the highest stakes. In order to survive, she must play a game whose rules she cannot yet understand.
Triumphant and tragic, soulful and spirited, The Matchbox Girl is a burningly brilliant book – that brings the stories of a generation of lost children into the light.
Adelheid Brunner does not speak. She writes and draws instead and her ambition is to own one thousand matchboxes. Her grandmother cannot make sense of this, but Adelheid will stop at nothing to achieve her dream. She makes herself invisible, hiding in cupboards with her pet rat, Franz Joseph, listening in on conversations she can't fully comprehend.
Then she meets Dr Asperger, a man who lets children play all day and who recognises the importance of matchboxes. He invites Adelheid to come and live at the Vienna paediatric clinic, where she and other children like herself will live under observation.
But the date is 1938 and the place is Vienna – a city of political instability, a place of increasing fear and violence. When the Nazis march into the city, a new world is created and difficult choices must be made.
Why are the clinic's children disappearing, and where do they go? Adelheid starts to suspect that some of Dr Asperger's games are played for the highest stakes. In order to survive, she must play a game whose rules she cannot yet understand.
Triumphant and tragic, soulful and spirited, The Matchbox Girl is a burningly brilliant book – that brings the stories of a generation of lost children into the light.
416 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication January 6, 2026
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379 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 21, 2025
Adelheid tells her story from a singular perspective and in her own unique style, complete with erratic use of capitalisation. Although looking back on events, she is determined to describe them as they happened and not with the benefit of hindsight. Of course, this is the way we all experience the world; unaware of what will happen next, only able to make decisions and adopt moral positions based on what we know now, or are told.
Adelheid is a patient in the ‘Curative Education’ department of the Vienna Children’s Hospital where children whom we would now describe as being on the autism spectrum are the subject of observation and research. Adelheid is an astute observer, both of events and of people, recording her thoughts in a series of notebooks, often with a wry humour. She is a lover of facts and of order, the latter exemplified by her obsession with collecting matchboxes and pondering how best they should be organised.
She finds herself in a chaotic world in which people try to persuade her that pretending is not the same as lying, and want her to get involved in activities she views as pointless. Ironically, in complete innocence, she initially finds some comfort in the Nazi’s promise to bring order to Austria. And, as a collector of facts, she believes what she is told.
Adelheid’s only friend is Adolf, a boy who has disdain for many of the other children on the ward, categorising them as Cabbages, Penguins (always flapping) or worse. Himself he describes as just ‘a Regular Delinquent’. He loves nothing better than creating mayhem and encourages Adelheid to join him in eavesdropping on staff meetings. Later we learn the dark secrets of his family life.
Nazi Germany continues its seemingly inexorable advance through the countries of Europe. By now Adelheid’s gift for accurately recording information has been noted and she’s given responsibility for recordkeeping. She begins to detect anomolies in patient records, noticing the unexplained transfer of children to a clinic in another hospital, Am Spiegelgrund, supposedly better able to meet their needs but in reality a place from which children never return. What Adelheid finds is a calculated, systematic programme targeting children who do not meet the Nazi ideals of racial purity, children categorised as ‘Useless Eaters’.
Through the response of the various members of hospital staff to what is happening, the book explores the question of accountability and complicity. Some, like the vile Dr. Jekelius, enthusiastically embrace Nazi ideals. Others, like Sister Viktorine and Dr. Feldner do everything they can to disrupt what’s going on, risking their own lives in the process. Even these efforts can only reduce the number of children sent to Am Spiegelgrund.
The role of Dr. Asperger (referred to in the book as ‘Dr. A’) comes under particular scrutiny. Was he knowingly complicit in what was going on? Did his desire to continue his research outweigh his moral scruples? Or did he in fact, as some of the hospital staff believe, at least prevent more children from disappearing?
Adelheid is a fictional character but many of the others in the book, including some of the children, were real people. Adelheid’s viewpoint means she is able to diverge from her own experiences now and again to give us information from a different perspective.
The Matchbox Girl depicts a dark period in European history when unimaginably evil things were done. I found some of the events in the book difficult to read about although, arguably, they should be difficult otherwise how are we to learn from them. The author has found an imaginative way of telling this story and, in Adelheid, created a memorable and captivating character.
Adelheid is a patient in the ‘Curative Education’ department of the Vienna Children’s Hospital where children whom we would now describe as being on the autism spectrum are the subject of observation and research. Adelheid is an astute observer, both of events and of people, recording her thoughts in a series of notebooks, often with a wry humour. She is a lover of facts and of order, the latter exemplified by her obsession with collecting matchboxes and pondering how best they should be organised.
She finds herself in a chaotic world in which people try to persuade her that pretending is not the same as lying, and want her to get involved in activities she views as pointless. Ironically, in complete innocence, she initially finds some comfort in the Nazi’s promise to bring order to Austria. And, as a collector of facts, she believes what she is told.
Adelheid’s only friend is Adolf, a boy who has disdain for many of the other children on the ward, categorising them as Cabbages, Penguins (always flapping) or worse. Himself he describes as just ‘a Regular Delinquent’. He loves nothing better than creating mayhem and encourages Adelheid to join him in eavesdropping on staff meetings. Later we learn the dark secrets of his family life.
Nazi Germany continues its seemingly inexorable advance through the countries of Europe. By now Adelheid’s gift for accurately recording information has been noted and she’s given responsibility for recordkeeping. She begins to detect anomolies in patient records, noticing the unexplained transfer of children to a clinic in another hospital, Am Spiegelgrund, supposedly better able to meet their needs but in reality a place from which children never return. What Adelheid finds is a calculated, systematic programme targeting children who do not meet the Nazi ideals of racial purity, children categorised as ‘Useless Eaters’.
Through the response of the various members of hospital staff to what is happening, the book explores the question of accountability and complicity. Some, like the vile Dr. Jekelius, enthusiastically embrace Nazi ideals. Others, like Sister Viktorine and Dr. Feldner do everything they can to disrupt what’s going on, risking their own lives in the process. Even these efforts can only reduce the number of children sent to Am Spiegelgrund.
The role of Dr. Asperger (referred to in the book as ‘Dr. A’) comes under particular scrutiny. Was he knowingly complicit in what was going on? Did his desire to continue his research outweigh his moral scruples? Or did he in fact, as some of the hospital staff believe, at least prevent more children from disappearing?
Adelheid is a fictional character but many of the others in the book, including some of the children, were real people. Adelheid’s viewpoint means she is able to diverge from her own experiences now and again to give us information from a different perspective.
The Matchbox Girl depicts a dark period in European history when unimaginably evil things were done. I found some of the events in the book difficult to read about although, arguably, they should be difficult otherwise how are we to learn from them. The author has found an imaginative way of telling this story and, in Adelheid, created a memorable and captivating character.
November 6, 2025
This historical fiction, set in Vienna at the time of the 1938 Anschluß and through WWII, is a challenging read, but one that rewards perseverance. I know that it’s going to cling to me for some time.
Told through the posthumous voice of Adelheid Brunner, who as a child was admitted to a special ward for ‘autistic psychopaths’ at the Vienna Children’s Hospital, it is an unsettling story based on real historical figures and events.
Adelheid displays many of the characteristics we now know as Asperger’s. She’s mute, nervous, and obsessive about rules and order. Her passions are her pet rat, Franz Joseph, collecting matchboxes and recording her thoughts in a series of notebooks.
When the Nazis take over Vienna, Adelheid bears silent witness not just to the changes in her beloved city, but also to a growing tension and secrecy in the hospital, where children are taken away, never to return.
I struggled initially with the writing style, which, reflecting the chaos, fear and uncertainty in Adelheid’s head, is hard to follow. The use of random capitalization—I assume as a nod to the German language—was also irritating at first. However, I did become accustomed to it and forgot about it altogether as the layers of the story started peeling away.
What kept me reading as I stumbled through the early chapters was Jolly’s sense of time and place, which is superb. Having lived in Vienna for over 40 years, and knowing something of its history, I felt a powerful connection to the story.
It’s impossible to unpick all the threads of this deeply complex novel, as it tackles a multitude of themes, including truth, loyalty and the question of accountability and complicity. More than anything, though, I’d say that it shines as a memorial to the 300-plus disabled children, who were euthanized during this period for being an affront to the Nazi ideal.
Told through the posthumous voice of Adelheid Brunner, who as a child was admitted to a special ward for ‘autistic psychopaths’ at the Vienna Children’s Hospital, it is an unsettling story based on real historical figures and events.
Adelheid displays many of the characteristics we now know as Asperger’s. She’s mute, nervous, and obsessive about rules and order. Her passions are her pet rat, Franz Joseph, collecting matchboxes and recording her thoughts in a series of notebooks.
When the Nazis take over Vienna, Adelheid bears silent witness not just to the changes in her beloved city, but also to a growing tension and secrecy in the hospital, where children are taken away, never to return.
I struggled initially with the writing style, which, reflecting the chaos, fear and uncertainty in Adelheid’s head, is hard to follow. The use of random capitalization—I assume as a nod to the German language—was also irritating at first. However, I did become accustomed to it and forgot about it altogether as the layers of the story started peeling away.
What kept me reading as I stumbled through the early chapters was Jolly’s sense of time and place, which is superb. Having lived in Vienna for over 40 years, and knowing something of its history, I felt a powerful connection to the story.
It’s impossible to unpick all the threads of this deeply complex novel, as it tackles a multitude of themes, including truth, loyalty and the question of accountability and complicity. More than anything, though, I’d say that it shines as a memorial to the 300-plus disabled children, who were euthanized during this period for being an affront to the Nazi ideal.
Want to read
December 9, 2025Soft DNF @page 96
Read
July 25, 2025*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review*.
The Matchbox Girl follows Adelheid Brunner who does not speak and wants to own one thousand matchboxes. Her grandmother doesn’t understand Adelheid’s ambition and Adelheid hides in cupboards with her pet rat, Franz Joseph and listens in on conversations. Adelheid meets Dr Asperger who invites her to come and live at the Vienna paediatric clinic where she will be under observation with other children. But this takes place in 1938 with Vienna a place of political instability and Nazis march into the city crating a new world and more danger.
This was very well written as the narrative jumped around and it really felt like Adelheid was a real person and as if I was experiencing her thoughts. This has some good observations on Vienna and the Nazi threat and generally I can see people enjoying this.
The Matchbox Girl follows Adelheid Brunner who does not speak and wants to own one thousand matchboxes. Her grandmother doesn’t understand Adelheid’s ambition and Adelheid hides in cupboards with her pet rat, Franz Joseph and listens in on conversations. Adelheid meets Dr Asperger who invites her to come and live at the Vienna paediatric clinic where she will be under observation with other children. But this takes place in 1938 with Vienna a place of political instability and Nazis march into the city crating a new world and more danger.
This was very well written as the narrative jumped around and it really felt like Adelheid was a real person and as if I was experiencing her thoughts. This has some good observations on Vienna and the Nazi threat and generally I can see people enjoying this.
Want to read
November 16, 2025Read the following review of this book:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
November 6, 2025
Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing PLC and Netgalley for this advanced copy.
I picked up The Matchbox Girl expecting something straightforward, but it turned out to be a quietly compelling read. Adelheid’s world is strange and captivating, and the way her silence shapes her view of Vienna in 1938 really stuck with me. The book hops around a bit, which took a while to get used to, but it made the story feel more alive and unpredictable. There’s a mix of charm, tension, and melancholy that lingers long after you’ve put it down. Not an easy read, but well worth the effort.
I picked up The Matchbox Girl expecting something straightforward, but it turned out to be a quietly compelling read. Adelheid’s world is strange and captivating, and the way her silence shapes her view of Vienna in 1938 really stuck with me. The book hops around a bit, which took a while to get used to, but it made the story feel more alive and unpredictable. There’s a mix of charm, tension, and melancholy that lingers long after you’ve put it down. Not an easy read, but well worth the effort.
August 22, 2025
The blurb for this bo9k waa intriguing but it felt a bit disjointed in places which had nothing to do with the jumps in the timeline which all came together in the end,, it kept referring to the main character's death which unless I missed something, never materialised . It wasn't the book for me but it was well written and researched
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2025
I very much enjoyed this novel which is set in World War II Nazi occupied Vienna it follows the story of Brunner who is autistic and before the war receiving treatment in a children’s Hospital locally. Whilst in the hospital she meets Dr Asperger who is named Dr A throughout the novel . As she grows older, she meets other children with similar autistic tendencies and it becomes clear that Dr A is studying these children. As an adult she is employed as a ward helper as the has the horrific German eugenic laws but start to be put into practice.
The novel follows both her story and the stories of other doctors as they migrate from Vienna to America to escape the atrocities. These are real stories the author manages to tell the story as a novel and doesn’t fall into the problem. I’ve seen with other historic novels based on real happenings when the story becomes a list of occurrences. This is a tricky line to walk and the author of this novel manages to do it very well.
The fate of children with congenital abnormalities is perhaps not as well known as the face of the Jews during the holocaust but many thousands were euthanised in the bid for racial ethnic and genetic purity
I love the way the author uses the story build the tension in a consistent fashion of course you know immediately who Dr A is but this isn’t revealed till towards the end of the novel .
The way that the autistic main character sees life around her in a Children’s Hospital is interesting and her dilemma in doing what was right was very clear. As an autistic person she is a rule follower but what will she do when the rules become so horrific?
Interesting use of capital letters in the middle of sentences I don’t know if this was just in my early electronic copy on NetGalley or whether this was a deliberate thing to try and show the way the Child was thinking
This book route moves along at a reasonably fast paced and kept my attention throughout. The author has a clear flowing writing style and the book was an easy read.
I would recommend this novel for those who like historic dramas for character based novels with exciting back stories can’t immediately think of a novel to compare it to.
I read an early copy on NetGalley UK and returned for an honest review. The book was published in the UK on the 6th of November 2025 by Bloomsbury publishing plc.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, storyGraph, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com it will also appear on Amazon UK and Waterstones
The novel follows both her story and the stories of other doctors as they migrate from Vienna to America to escape the atrocities. These are real stories the author manages to tell the story as a novel and doesn’t fall into the problem. I’ve seen with other historic novels based on real happenings when the story becomes a list of occurrences. This is a tricky line to walk and the author of this novel manages to do it very well.
The fate of children with congenital abnormalities is perhaps not as well known as the face of the Jews during the holocaust but many thousands were euthanised in the bid for racial ethnic and genetic purity
I love the way the author uses the story build the tension in a consistent fashion of course you know immediately who Dr A is but this isn’t revealed till towards the end of the novel .
The way that the autistic main character sees life around her in a Children’s Hospital is interesting and her dilemma in doing what was right was very clear. As an autistic person she is a rule follower but what will she do when the rules become so horrific?
Interesting use of capital letters in the middle of sentences I don’t know if this was just in my early electronic copy on NetGalley or whether this was a deliberate thing to try and show the way the Child was thinking
This book route moves along at a reasonably fast paced and kept my attention throughout. The author has a clear flowing writing style and the book was an easy read.
I would recommend this novel for those who like historic dramas for character based novels with exciting back stories can’t immediately think of a novel to compare it to.
I read an early copy on NetGalley UK and returned for an honest review. The book was published in the UK on the 6th of November 2025 by Bloomsbury publishing plc.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, storyGraph, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com it will also appear on Amazon UK and Waterstones
October 6, 2025
Set in 1938 Vienna, The Matchbox Girl tells the story of Adelheid Brunner, a girl who does not speak, but dreams of collecting 1000 matchboxes. She enters Dr. Asperger’s clinic, where he studies “austistic psychopaths.” But Adelheid is the real observer, eavesdropping on conversations and watching those around her react in different ways as Nazism spreads and Germans occupy Austria. When children begin disappearing, Adelheid must figure out who she can trust, and how to survive in an increasingly incomprehensible and frightening world. This timely book, extensively researched and deeply complex, shows readers the different shapes resistance and bravery take, and the small ways we can stand up to forces of evil even as they are normalized. The Matchbox Girls is a remarkable achievement.
October 12, 2025
Received this in my Goldsboro subscription. I will admit I struggled to read it at first, the internal monologue style of the narrator is hard to latch onto at first but after committing to reading 100 pages I couldn’t put it down. It is highly intense and frenetic, showing me a part of history I hadn’t delved into before. Gave an interesting and nuanced look into the grey areas of diagnosis, history and every individuals actions.
It was not a perfect book for me. I felt confused and a little lost at times, holding my breath and feeling on edge, but perhaps I was supposed to?…seeing the world unfold through the eyes of our main character?
It was not a perfect book for me. I felt confused and a little lost at times, holding my breath and feeling on edge, but perhaps I was supposed to?…seeing the world unfold through the eyes of our main character?
December 5, 2025
I was attracted to the premise of this book, particularly as it was based on real life and was about WWII, but I’m afraid this failed to engage me from the start. It was just so disconnected, with such unrelentingly strange syntax and annoyingly random capitalisation (what was that about?!) that I found myself rereading to a point of exhaustion. This is my first DNF for a long time - I hate that it’s beaten me, but sadly I think a number of people will struggle with this one.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity of reading the matchbox girl, but unfortunately this is not a book I would recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity of reading the matchbox girl, but unfortunately this is not a book I would recommend.
September 11, 2025
What fresh hell is this? I got it from my Goldsboro book subscription and boy did they screw this one up.
I don’t know what it’s about or what happened in the 30 pages I read, to be honest. The way it’s written is pure garbage to me. Lost interest by page 10, so it’s a miracle I made it to page 30.
Throw this in the bin.
I don’t know what it’s about or what happened in the 30 pages I read, to be honest. The way it’s written is pure garbage to me. Lost interest by page 10, so it’s a miracle I made it to page 30.
Throw this in the bin.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews