What do you think?
Rate this book
Crooked Cross #2
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is the much-anticipated sequel to Persephone Books’ bestselling title, Crooked Cross by Sally Carson. It is now August 1933, and the deadly fervour of Hitler’s Nazi regime continues to spread across Germany. Michael Reader, a young Englishman, decides to visit his friends the Klugers at their home in Bavaria.
Michael’s first shock comes when he finds their house empty. After he tracks the family down in Munich, Michael is horrified to see how much their world has changed. Erich and Helmy, the Kluger brothers, are still heavily involved with the Nazi Party. Erich is proud to be ascending the ranks of such a powerful organisation, but Helmy, four years older, is visibly wasting away, racked with guilt, disbelief and sorrow.
After Helmy befriends a young Jewish girl and has a public dispute with a fellow Nazi official, even steadfast Erich begins to fret for Helmy’s – and the family’s – safety. Moving between different characters and perspectives, The Prisoner recounts the constant struggle of existence and survival in Nazi-era Germany.
The Prisoner is part of the Persephone Audiobook Collection, a series of forgotten classics including neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers. This novel was first published in 1936 and now includes a publisher’s afterword.
Michael’s first shock comes when he finds their house empty. After he tracks the family down in Munich, Michael is horrified to see how much their world has changed. Erich and Helmy, the Kluger brothers, are still heavily involved with the Nazi Party. Erich is proud to be ascending the ranks of such a powerful organisation, but Helmy, four years older, is visibly wasting away, racked with guilt, disbelief and sorrow.
After Helmy befriends a young Jewish girl and has a public dispute with a fellow Nazi official, even steadfast Erich begins to fret for Helmy’s – and the family’s – safety. Moving between different characters and perspectives, The Prisoner recounts the constant struggle of existence and survival in Nazi-era Germany.
The Prisoner is part of the Persephone Audiobook Collection, a series of forgotten classics including neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers. This novel was first published in 1936 and now includes a publisher’s afterword.
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 1936
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 16, 2026
I have already spilled most of my thoughts to dear Elizabeth in our buddy read. The Prisoner was a really challenging and powerful read, much like Crooked Cross but showing the even more insidious reach of Nazism into young men and families. Carson is such a good writer, and had she lived longer I'm sure she'd be considered one of the greatest political novelists of the twentieth century. As it is, she stands in a small group of women writing about Nazi Germany prewar. I believe she published all three books before the war even started, which lends an uncanny sense to reading her work. If you have ever wondered if the UK knew about concentration camps and treatment of Jewish people in the 1930s--if you have ever wondered why Nazism took off like fire in the economically depressed youths of Germany--if you have ever wondered what happens to communities when false walls are put up between neighbors--read Sally Carson.
Crooked Cross should be read first. I will be reading A Traveler Came By, the final novel in this suite.
Crooked Cross should be read first. I will be reading A Traveler Came By, the final novel in this suite.
May 2, 2026
Would very much like the third one now please and thank you
May 21, 2026
Years of education and consuming all sorts of media, books, movies, series, about the Nazis, World War II, and fascism had made the whole thing feel very plain and almost trivial to me. Nazis were simply evil. Some evil people, born with an evil nature, doing evil things. I had simplified the whole movement into one easy explanation: evil.
I had completely forgotten to think of these people as human beings. I had forgotten to think of Hitler and his SS men as products of the economic and social conditions after World War I, instead of monsters who emerged out of a vacuum from nowhere.
I came across Crooked Cross by sheer randomness. I was visiting an old historical bookshop in Paris, one that had not yet become the copy-paste version of every modern bookshop with the same list of BookTok recommendations, and Crooked Cross had a small staff recommendation attached to it. The beautiful Persephone Books cover design, combined with the topic itself, immediately drew me in.
I had to order The Prisoner literally five minutes after finishing Crooked Cross. I wish I could order A Traveller Came By too. I cannot wait for it to be republished.
These books genuinely shifted my mindset.
At a time when right-wing extremism and fascism are once again gaining power around the world, rebuilding themselves on propaganda, lies, fear, and ridiculous economic populist promises directed at frustrated young people, these books hit differently.
Seeing the parallels with the period in which Nazism was slowly gaining power, watching the ideology spread like cancer into homes and families, was deeply unsettling. The novels show how ordinary people gradually became capable of seeing even the people they loved differently, capable of turning against a soon-to-be son-in-law they once adored and suddenly viewing him as lesser, contaminated, almost alien.
One thing throughout both books deeply unsettled me. I could not fathom how they kept their relationships with the Nazi supporters around them. I was angry that Thea remained friends with Elsa after what they did to Hermann.
But after a while, I realized how disconnected I was from the reality of the situation when I thought that way.
These were not strangers. These were not suddenly cartoon villains with horns growing out of their heads. These were the people they had loved for years, friends, family members, neighbors. People who had laughed with them at dinner tables, celebrated birthdays with them, shared ordinary life with them.
Understanding the complexity of that, and comparing it to the world we are living in today, made everything much more frightening to me.
Because when you start seeing evil for what it often really is, ordinary human beings, brainwashed, frightened about the future, desperate for hope, clinging to false promises offered by terrible leaders, it hits differently.
You realize that this part of history was never some impossible anomaly. It can repeat itself at any moment.
And maybe it already is repeating itself.
I do not even know whom I hated most in these books. Herr Kluger? Frau Kluger? Helmy? Erich? I genuinely do not know. I do not know whether I hate the people completely consumed by the ideology more, or the bystanders who became complicit through silence.
That question haunted me long after I finished the books.
When I finished The Prisoner, I immediately searched for information about Sally Carson. I wanted to know when she died. Did she live long enough to see the end of it all? Did she get to see the world step out of that darkness?
Sadly, she did not.
She died in 1941, but The Prisoner itself was written under the shadow of those years, while fascism was still unfolding across Europe. There is something profoundly sad about reading a book written from inside that uncertainty rather than from the safety of hindsight.
These books reminded me that history is not made only by monsters. Sometimes it is made by ordinary people slowly learning how to justify cruelty to themselves. And I think that realization frightened me more than any simplified version of evil ever could.
I had completely forgotten to think of these people as human beings. I had forgotten to think of Hitler and his SS men as products of the economic and social conditions after World War I, instead of monsters who emerged out of a vacuum from nowhere.
I came across Crooked Cross by sheer randomness. I was visiting an old historical bookshop in Paris, one that had not yet become the copy-paste version of every modern bookshop with the same list of BookTok recommendations, and Crooked Cross had a small staff recommendation attached to it. The beautiful Persephone Books cover design, combined with the topic itself, immediately drew me in.
I had to order The Prisoner literally five minutes after finishing Crooked Cross. I wish I could order A Traveller Came By too. I cannot wait for it to be republished.
These books genuinely shifted my mindset.
At a time when right-wing extremism and fascism are once again gaining power around the world, rebuilding themselves on propaganda, lies, fear, and ridiculous economic populist promises directed at frustrated young people, these books hit differently.
Seeing the parallels with the period in which Nazism was slowly gaining power, watching the ideology spread like cancer into homes and families, was deeply unsettling. The novels show how ordinary people gradually became capable of seeing even the people they loved differently, capable of turning against a soon-to-be son-in-law they once adored and suddenly viewing him as lesser, contaminated, almost alien.
One thing throughout both books deeply unsettled me. I could not fathom how they kept their relationships with the Nazi supporters around them. I was angry that Thea remained friends with Elsa after what they did to Hermann.
But after a while, I realized how disconnected I was from the reality of the situation when I thought that way.
These were not strangers. These were not suddenly cartoon villains with horns growing out of their heads. These were the people they had loved for years, friends, family members, neighbors. People who had laughed with them at dinner tables, celebrated birthdays with them, shared ordinary life with them.
Understanding the complexity of that, and comparing it to the world we are living in today, made everything much more frightening to me.
Because when you start seeing evil for what it often really is, ordinary human beings, brainwashed, frightened about the future, desperate for hope, clinging to false promises offered by terrible leaders, it hits differently.
You realize that this part of history was never some impossible anomaly. It can repeat itself at any moment.
And maybe it already is repeating itself.
I do not even know whom I hated most in these books. Herr Kluger? Frau Kluger? Helmy? Erich? I genuinely do not know. I do not know whether I hate the people completely consumed by the ideology more, or the bystanders who became complicit through silence.
That question haunted me long after I finished the books.
When I finished The Prisoner, I immediately searched for information about Sally Carson. I wanted to know when she died. Did she live long enough to see the end of it all? Did she get to see the world step out of that darkness?
Sadly, she did not.
She died in 1941, but The Prisoner itself was written under the shadow of those years, while fascism was still unfolding across Europe. There is something profoundly sad about reading a book written from inside that uncertainty rather than from the safety of hindsight.
These books reminded me that history is not made only by monsters. Sometimes it is made by ordinary people slowly learning how to justify cruelty to themselves. And I think that realization frightened me more than any simplified version of evil ever could.
May 19, 2026
The second excellent book in Sally Carson’s trilogy, Crooked Cross. I shall get to writing a review shortly.
April 24, 2026
“I’m crying for everything…for lots of things I ought to have cried about long ago.”
April 24, 2026
This is the sequel to Crooked Cross - and easily one of the best series I’ve read in my adult life. The fact that these were written at the same time as World War II is incredible - I feel like we were always taught in school that the rest of the world had no idea what was going on in Germany, that concentration camps were that bad, etc. The fact that these exists proves that wrong.
The prose in these is incredible, and they feel remarkably relevant to our time. My one regret is that Crooked Cross was available in ebook format and for some reason, The Prisoner is not (at least not yet), so I had to listen in audiobook. I normally don’t mind audiobooks, but for these, I specifically want to read the prose so I can highlight my favorite passages.
The prose in these is incredible, and they feel remarkably relevant to our time. My one regret is that Crooked Cross was available in ebook format and for some reason, The Prisoner is not (at least not yet), so I had to listen in audiobook. I normally don’t mind audiobooks, but for these, I specifically want to read the prose so I can highlight my favorite passages.
June 6, 2026
Just not as compelling for me as vol 1 which I loved
May 3, 2026
Not an easy read but definitely a must read as we all need to be aware of how quickly someone like Hitler can ruin so many lives.
May 18, 2026
Published in 1936 this novel follows on from Crooked Cross. It is centred on the Kluger family as the grip of Hitler and the Nazi party gets stronger. Definitely not a cheery book!
"To hang a flag out...was an order". The suppression of free speech, free elections and violent attacks results in a climate of fear.
"To hang a flag out...was an order". The suppression of free speech, free elections and violent attacks results in a climate of fear.
June 4, 2026
4.5
“…now there was noting but worry....”
“Rumor piled up against rumor with such fantastic speed that truth was nowhere to be found“.
We are back again with the Kluger family who are living through the beginning of the nightmare in Germany in the 1930s. The “Not Sees” [I am not using the real word–see the bottom of this post] have come to power. (My no spoilers policy means I must skip a little here). After the events at the end of The Crooked Cross, the family makes changes–they move to Munich. Son Erich is an avid Party member and an officer. Older son Helmie and father Hans have joined the Party but are not on board in the way Erich is. heir English friend, Michael, is back and confused. Elsa, another old friend, becomes a part of the story.
As the story progresses we see what is happening around the Klugers–and we see that they see it too. A friend is in Dachau for being against the regime. The full employment the regime promises comes at a price even for some Party members. This impacts the Klugers and their neighbors. It is no longer safe to discuss politics in any but the most private settings, Not merely livelihoods, but actual lives are at stake if one is overheard. The Klugers recognize this and try to act accordingly. But one evening, Helmie has a rare lapse and drinks too much. An ardent Not See is with him. The brothers must act to protect the family.
In the two years of the story’s timeline the atmosphere becomes more and more oppressive. Risks are taken that have major consequences. Sensitive Helmie suffers and even Erich starts to feel it. As colleagues laugh at child made homeless (ala the masked frozen police here) and use unnecessary violence to achieve their ends, Helmie is repulsed. Standing up to the regime takes courage.
The country is ever more on edge and there is nearly a decade of this to go.
“…now there was noting but worry....”
“Rumor piled up against rumor with such fantastic speed that truth was nowhere to be found“.
We are back again with the Kluger family who are living through the beginning of the nightmare in Germany in the 1930s. The “Not Sees” [I am not using the real word–see the bottom of this post] have come to power. (My no spoilers policy means I must skip a little here). After the events at the end of The Crooked Cross, the family makes changes–they move to Munich. Son Erich is an avid Party member and an officer. Older son Helmie and father Hans have joined the Party but are not on board in the way Erich is. heir English friend, Michael, is back and confused. Elsa, another old friend, becomes a part of the story.
As the story progresses we see what is happening around the Klugers–and we see that they see it too. A friend is in Dachau for being against the regime. The full employment the regime promises comes at a price even for some Party members. This impacts the Klugers and their neighbors. It is no longer safe to discuss politics in any but the most private settings, Not merely livelihoods, but actual lives are at stake if one is overheard. The Klugers recognize this and try to act accordingly. But one evening, Helmie has a rare lapse and drinks too much. An ardent Not See is with him. The brothers must act to protect the family.
In the two years of the story’s timeline the atmosphere becomes more and more oppressive. Risks are taken that have major consequences. Sensitive Helmie suffers and even Erich starts to feel it. As colleagues laugh at child made homeless (ala the masked frozen police here) and use unnecessary violence to achieve their ends, Helmie is repulsed. Standing up to the regime takes courage.
The country is ever more on edge and there is nearly a decade of this to go.
May 25, 2026
This is a powerful follow up to The Crooked Cross and we can only be grateful to Persephone Books for publishing these important texts. Again, I listened to it on Audible where it was fabulously narrated by Stephanie Racine. The story continues after the events of the first book as Nazism gains a stranglehold on Germany and the Kluger family have to come to terms (or not) with both the fascist ideology in practice and the death of their beloved Lexa. For her two brothers, this tragedy impacts in very different ways and it is this that is the main focus of the book. As a portrait of a society and culture harshly transitioning into a new world it is educational, chilling and prescient. The Prisoner could refer to any or many of the characters. Compelling. I hope the final book of the trilogy follows soon.
May 16, 2026
Having read Crooked Cross by the same author I was keen to read this, the second book in her trilogy set in Germany in the 1930s. The fortunes of the Kruger family are again central to the story, their lives becoming increasingly difficult. The main focus is on Helmy who, after the death of his sister Lexa, and his resulting increasing doubts about Nazism, spirals down into a nervous breakdown.It is hard to read about his deterioration. The sense of fear which dominates everyday life is vividly conveyed but in places the writing is rather florid and long-winded.
I hope that Persephone Books will publish the third volume.
I hope that Persephone Books will publish the third volume.
May 21, 2026
Set not long after the tragic ending of Crooked Cross, this 1936 sequel shows the Kluger family falling apart (or not) while Nazi Germany continues on its evil path. How can a person deal with personal grief, loss, and guilt, along with disillusionment, fear, and horror, as your country transforms into a brutal totalitarian state?
It’s a sad, hard, necessary read. Both a domestic drama and contemporaneous snapshot of the rise of the Nazi party. And once again, I am astonished that a young Englishwomen wrote these novels in the 1930s. Sally Carson’s books expose the comfortable lie that “we didn’t know.”
I’m hoping Persephone Books publishes the final book in the trilogy next year.
It’s a sad, hard, necessary read. Both a domestic drama and contemporaneous snapshot of the rise of the Nazi party. And once again, I am astonished that a young Englishwomen wrote these novels in the 1930s. Sally Carson’s books expose the comfortable lie that “we didn’t know.”
I’m hoping Persephone Books publishes the final book in the trilogy next year.
June 4, 2026
Superb. Carson’s writing is so vivid. Such insightful writing. Such interesting characters.
The family at the centre of the narrative are so real and the story is beautifully told exposing the terror of 1930s Germany and the complications for family members trying to deal with the developing crisis at a very personal level. And it’s also so contemporary given the rise and rise of extreme right wing populism.
So next the third book in the trilogy. I can’t wait.
They are depressing with touches of humanity. The light just gets through!
The family at the centre of the narrative are so real and the story is beautifully told exposing the terror of 1930s Germany and the complications for family members trying to deal with the developing crisis at a very personal level. And it’s also so contemporary given the rise and rise of extreme right wing populism.
So next the third book in the trilogy. I can’t wait.
They are depressing with touches of humanity. The light just gets through!
May 21, 2026
Continues on from first book.
The rise the nazis and facism becoming normalized. With lexa dead start of book and micheals greif being the thing makes him now fully awake about what happens in germany.
Thoughtful profound and ahead of its time like first novel.
Helmey is lost (someone loves him in secret) elsa. Enruich is fully suck cost falacy in nazi party now.
Only read if your ready for an emtional rollacoster.
The rise the nazis and facism becoming normalized. With lexa dead start of book and micheals greif being the thing makes him now fully awake about what happens in germany.
Thoughtful profound and ahead of its time like first novel.
Helmey is lost (someone loves him in secret) elsa. Enruich is fully suck cost falacy in nazi party now.
Only read if your ready for an emtional rollacoster.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2026
This is the sequel to Sally Carson's highly acclaimed novel Crooked Cross. The fact that this was published in 1936 is fascinating. We continue with the life of the Kluger family as the grip of Hitler and the Nazi party gets stronger. This is a really good book but its very dark and somewhat depressing – so it should probably be a 5 star but I can only manage a 4 star as I wasn’t quite in the mood for so much darkness.
June 9, 2026
About a third of the way through I was thinking this one is not quite as good as the first, but now I think it is, if not better. In a quiet way, it is absolutely devastating as we see the disintegration of someone coming to terms with a country under fascism. It packs a very powerful punch, especially reading it in 2026.
June 23, 2026
It's difficult to express how this book has affected me. It's incredible that a book written in 1936, along with Crooked Cross which preceded it can have captured so precisely the tragedy of the Nazi takeover of Germany. We empathise with the Kluger family despite their failings and despair with Helmy as he realises that there is no way out for decent people and no way out for Germany.
June 8, 2026
Not as good as The Crooked Cross. The novel contains lots of reflection with little plot development until the end. The book most probably reflects life and its contradictions for many people in Germany in the 1930s quite accurately.
June 14, 2026
Excellent book
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Prisoner opens shortly after the final events of Crooked Cross, events that have changed for the Kruger family for good. Here Herr Kruger has decided to move the family to Munich, to try to get away from what has happened. Erich is still doing well as a storm trooper, and has come to terms with what happened. Helmy, on the other hand is struggling with his conflicting feelings. It is hard for him to remain a loyal member of the party after what has happened, and he becomes increasingly disillusioned about what is happening in Germany.
Sally Carson would often stay in Germany in the early 1930's, so she could see what was happening there, which makes these novels feel more insightful than many with the same setting. What seems truly horrifying is just how normal the Nazi characters come across as. Many are simply trying to get some direction in life. It's this depiction of them that makes for such a chilling read, showing us how easy it can be for ordinary people to fall in line with such hateful ideas.
With thanks to Persephone Books for sending me a copy for review.
Edit 24/4. I'm going to The launch party for this book tomorrow, so picking up for a quick reread.
Sally Carson would often stay in Germany in the early 1930's, so she could see what was happening there, which makes these novels feel more insightful than many with the same setting. What seems truly horrifying is just how normal the Nazi characters come across as. Many are simply trying to get some direction in life. It's this depiction of them that makes for such a chilling read, showing us how easy it can be for ordinary people to fall in line with such hateful ideas.
With thanks to Persephone Books for sending me a copy for review.
Edit 24/4. I'm going to The launch party for this book tomorrow, so picking up for a quick reread.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews