Orphaned Leaves

by Christopher Holt

" Visually horrifying and yet strangely affecting...An original way of looking at things, reminiscent of The Reader and is certainly just as harrowing ." Broo Doherty (Literary Critic) Otto Brandt is not Otto Brandt. He is Ernst Frick, a former Nazi War Criminal. With his stolen identity, he flees Europe in search of a new life in Australia, where he secures highly paid engineering work on the Snowy Mountains scheme and buys a run-down farm. He soon meets the locals who welcome him into their community.But their trusting friendship makes Brandt's deception unbearable. Worse is to come when, to his horror, he finds that his new Shangri La is haunted by terrifying spectres and images from his Nazi past. He is at breaking point when he receives a desperate plea for help from Alan Gilbert, a vulnerable boy he had taught to swim on the long sea voyage to Australia. Alan is a victim of the infamous scheme to relocate homeless British children to Australia. Brandt drives to a remote Catholic mission and is outraged to find that a brutalised, starving Alan has been sexually abused. After a violent altercation with Alan's tormentor, he brings the boy back to live with him on the farm.His legal adoption of Alan, aided by his friends, Peggy and Milo, give Brandt a raison d'etre. Before the war, Peggy had worked at the London Library, collecting 'orphaned leaves', the lost pages from rare books and restoring them to their rightful volumes. When she compares these orphaned leaves with the gaps and secrets in people's lives, Brandt retreats into a darkening void of guilt and shame. He accepts that remorse for his crimes will never be enough. How could "owning up" be reconciled with his new responsibilities to Alan, and a community which has come to accept him as one of its own?

290 pages, Paperback

Published December 6, 2019

Reviews

[Fred Fanning · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has an intense and exciting story. I also thought the characters were strong. The author had several characters and managed them well. The pace of reading was impressive, and the story had plenty of mystery. The book was compelling. I enjoyed the story and found the book very entertaining.

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that ORPHANED LEAVES by Christopher Holt is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!

[Diane Edbauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Orphaned Leaves' by Christopher Holt is a unique book because it is written from the perspective of a SS commander of the Reich. SS Brigadefuhrer Ernst Frick later to become Otto Brandt is the protagonist of this book. After murdering a red haired woman with a fox fur he is haunted by his deed. His guilt follows him through life. He also feels guilt because of his part in the Aktion, an operation involving the gathering and murdering of Polish Jews during the Holocaust. I found this book intriguing because I never thought about the men behind the heinous crimes during WWII. This thought provoking book gave me a new perspective on the life of this SS Commander. I recommend this book. I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.