by Maria Hummel
Ava Fischer works at a defense plant in 1943 Los Angeles while her husband fights overseas. She lives with her German immigrant mother-in-law in a cramped apartment, navigating wartime suspicions about their family's loyalty. When Ava discovers her mother-in-law has been hiding letters from Germany, she must decide whether to report the woman or protect her. The letters reveal connections to relatives still in Nazi Germany, putting the entire family under scrutiny from neighbors and authorities. As Ava struggles to keep her job and maintain her marriage through letters to her absent husband, she uncovers deeper truths about her family's past. The war forces her to choose between safety and solidarity, between the America she wants to belong to and the people she loves.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Los Angeles, Germany, Nazi Germany
Period: 1943
Unknown Binding · North Carolina Writers' Network
Content warnings: racism, war