Bombs on Aunt Dainty, by Judith Kerr
'Out of the Hitler Time' is a trilogy. I read the first instalment, 'When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit' some years ago, and have recently experienced it vicariously for a second time through my sister who has just read it with my mum. Listening to them telling me about all their favourite bits reminded me how much I enjoyed it, and also made me wonder why I had never read the other two books in the trilogy. Never mind, I thought, that was an easy fix. I have now read the second book, 'Bombs on Aunt Dainty,' and enjoyed it very much.
'When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit' follows a German family - Anna and Max and their Mama and Papa - and their journey of escape from an increasingly dangerous Nazi Germany. At the end, we see them successfully make it to England.
'Bombs on Aunt Dainty' picks up the same story from a little while later. Anna is now 15 and the family are a little more settled in England. (I say 'settled', but that's not really the case; Anna is being put up by the generous Bartholomew family, while her brother is at university and her parents are living in the Hotel Continental alongside a growing number of other European refugees.) The book follows their lives from this point onwards for about the next three years, right through the Blitz, and (luckily) out the other side.
What strikes me about this book is that it is so funny. Light-hearted and feel-good and amusing - and this is surprising because it's a book about one of the darkest periods of history this world has known. The characters face terrifying bomb blasts, extreme financial insecurity, the most awful discrimination based on the fact that they are German, and yet one finds oneself smiling and laughing all the way through.
I think the way Kerr creates this is through her use of character. Her cast is so quirky and loveable and endearing, with little eccentric habits and nicknames, and yet such depth and realness to them, such lively, characterful dialogue and such believable emotions and motives. Anna herself, whose perspective the book is told from, is somewhat hapless as she tries to navigate her own path in an unfamiliar country, but ultimately one becomes very fond of her and her family and friends.
The reason I find this characterisation so compelling is because I know there is so much truth in it. Judith Kerr had a very similar life experience to some of these characters, and while her trilogy is a work of fiction, it is undeniable that Anna's story is based on Kerr's reality - it's almost autobiographical. Therefore when Kerr shows us these German refugees huddled in the basement of the Hotel Continental while the buzz-bombs thrum overhead, we know that exact scene probably happened in real life. And when they show such fortitude and resilience, and continue to be happy in spite of everything, purely because they've got each other, we know that is also exactly what happened. It gives you so much admiration for these people.
Overall, I think these books are definitely worth a read. Judith Kerr writes so well; I got through 'Bombs on Aunt Dainty' incredibly quickly as a result (I consumed about three years of Anna's life in approximately three days). I think it's an important period of history to read about, and it's quite eye-opening to see wartime London through the eyes of a German girl - especially when you know that so much of her story draws on the first-hand experience of the author. Kerr is an inspiration.
Although I am only 10 years old, I have enjoyed thoroughly this wonderful book by Judith Kerr. Thanks to her, I now have become a World War 2 passionate, immersing myself in books like this. Thank you Judith, for this amazing experience.
Thank you for your comment Morena! I'm so glad you loved the book too 😄