This was the February pick for my book club. And, while I didn't choose it, I will lead the discussion. We've read many books about World War II but this one is very different.
Sigrid goes from being the ordinary wife of a soldier to being a savior of countless Jews. Along the way she does what she has to do in order for them to survive - and to survive herself. She lies and steals and has lots of sex - and, in the end, even kills.
While reading "City of Women" I kept thinking about Adam Hamilton's book, "Seeing Grey in a World of Black and White."
In the back of "City of Women" David Gillham asks us "What would any of us do?"
...she may have felt shame for her nation, but she did not resist, even as Jewish Berliners were marched through the streets on they way to "resettlement" in the East. Did she feel helpless to act? Most probably. (What, after all, could one woman do?) Did she feel relieved by the fact of her helplessness? Very likely. If she could not act, then she did not need to feel a responsibility to act. So when she finally breaks free of this self-imposed trap, how much of Sigrid's transformation is due to love or moral choice, and how much is due simply to her sudden need to recognize her true self?
Hard questions to come to grips with about Sigrid and ourselves. But when I discuss these issues with the wise women in my book club, I'm sure they'll have great insight and opinions.
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