He recognized it as a Nazi flag with the swastika neatly excised. It was good wool. It made a good blanket, under the feather quilt, in winter. She shows us little people, without major ambitions, trying to survive by their limited lights. Born and raised in Germany, Ms. Hegi writes as a hyphenated American, akin to Louise Erdrich or Cristina Garcia, bringing a submerged heritage into the light.
Resignation is the town's cardinal virtue.
For its women, life's chief consolation is tending the graves of husbands and sons lost in two world wars. Those who can't resign themselves are doomed. Gertrud Montag has a fling with another man while her husband is at the front during World War I. Guilty secrecy drives her into madness and an early death. Ingrid Baum is an incest victim who seeks solace in fanatical Roman Catholicism. Sister Adelheid wants to become a priest and celebrate the mass.