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Carry Me by Peter Behrens - 4* - My Review

Set primarily in Germany in the period between the two World Wars, this book is a sweeping saga of two families. Each has a German father, Irish mother, and a child born in England. It starts on the Isle of Wight, where the wealthy German Jewish industrialist Baron von Weinbrenner has hired Heinrich “Buck” Lange as the captain of his racing yacht. Buck’s son Billy serves as the narrator. Born in 1909, he is a child during the First World War when his father (a German citizen) is interned for the duration of the war and his grandfather is an Irish Republican involved in political unrest. The primary narrative arc involves Billy’s love for the Baron’s daughter Karin. They have known each other their entire lives.

After the war, the Baron again employs Buck, this time to set up an elite horse racing stable at his forested estate in Frankfurt. Billy moves there as a child, and grows up in this isolated environment, which allows these families to view the developing historic events at a distance – at least initially. Of course, this idyll cannot last, with Hitler’s rise to power and the attendant disruptions of the status quo. This book provides insight into the interwar period, and the events that served as a crucible for the upheaval that occurred with World War II. The characters are beautifully drawn, and their unusual mix of backgrounds allows the author to view these events from a variety of angles.

It contains a wide-ranging scope of events, which the author handles beautifully. The story flows well and the reader is carried along. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of references to the popular Karl May novels of the late 19th century set in the Llano Estacado in the southwestern US, which is portrayed as an escapist land of freedom. This serves as a stark contrast to what is going on in Germany at the time. I also enjoyed the archival material that serves as an introduction to many chapters – these are short and they set up the chain of events that will follow. It is a wonderful way to avoid information dumping and honors the reader’s ability to assemble the bigger picture from the historic material.

Behrens prose is descriptive and lyrical. He has a knack for setting up episodes that drop the reader into the center of events. He sets a tone of yearning for a better world while dealing with almost intolerable situations. I’ve read many books set in this time period, and this one is a solid addition to the canon. Recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction of the time period between the two World Wars.

BWF January Extra "C" - Fits letter not tag