Stone Mother
Stone Mother by Malve S Burns, published by Atmosphere Press in September 2023, is a historical fiction novel that explores the complexities of identity and family in post-World War II Germany. The story follows Marie, a young girl from a German family who, sheltered within the walls of Falkenburg Castle, embarks on a coming-of-age journey marked by her tumultuous relationship with her mother and the comforting presence of her father. As Marie navigates her childhood, she grapples with the harsh realities of her family’s past and the broader implications of her country’s history.
Readers will find that Marie’s journey takes her from the safety of the castle to various institutions and locations, including a Dickensian children’s home and a private prep school in Heidelberg. As she confronts the painful truths of Nazi atrocities, Marie’s struggle with her mother’s violent nature and her own identity deepens. With the guidance of her mother’s former teacher and the spirit prince of the castle, she begins to understand the complexities of her family’s legacy. This edition contains 282 pages and is presented in English, inviting readers to engage with themes of historical trauma and personal growth.
Official synopsis Publisher
Imagine growing up in a German family right after WWII with no knowledge of your country’s horrendous Nazi past or an understanding of your own family’s fierce internal struggles.
Marie is a dreamy child of a doctor whose family is offered refuge within the walls of Falkenburg Castle after the war. Within the safety of this thousand-year-old “stone mother,” Marie begins her coming-of-age journey dominated by her troubled, often violent mother and comforted by her beloved father.
Soon, Marie is forced to leave the castle and is bounced from a Dickensian Children’s institution, to an inspiring private prep school for girls in Heidelberg, to the wild Alaska Highway, and back to Germany, where, at age fifteen, she discovers the full extent of Nazi atrocities and contemplates suicide.
With the help of her mother’s former teacher and the spirit prince of Falkenburg Castle, Marie begins to understand her mother’s pain. She finds a way to accept-though never condone-what she cannot change. Ultimately, when she faces the transgressions of both her mother and her motherland, she is inspired to engage more fully with her new Germany.
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