The Photographer by Meike Ziervogel

Set against the backdrop of the Second World War The Photographer by Meike Ziervogel is a deeply moving story inspired by her own family history. At the end of the war eleven million people fled from east to west lives destroyed by war. This is a story that is so beautifully written and a story with so much packed into under 200 pages.

The couple at the heart of this story are Albert and Trude who met in 1933, Albert is a photographer and his photographs have appeared in magazines in Paris and Berlin, but Albert has his flaws but the couple are happy and together they have a son called Peter. But Trude’s controlling mother Agatha has never been happy with the union and eventually she has the chance to report Albert and he finds himself sent to the front to fight.

At the end of the war Albert has survived but is scarred by the everything that has happened both in terms of the fighting and also how Trude’s mother decided to report him. During the fighting Trude and her son have to flee for their lives as the Russian army is advancing. Now the war is over they are re-united via the Red Cross Albert finds Trude and Peter at a refugee camp. With everything that has happened can Albert and Trude rebuild their lives find the love they once shared. Like millions of others shattered by war the process of starting again begins. How can the couple forgive Agatha for her betrayal?

I read The Photographer in one sitting a compelling story that actually is an impressive piece of writing and one that resonates in current times with the refugee crisis that we see and read about in the media.

192 Pages

Thank you to Salt Publishing for the advanced review copy.

The Photographer by Meike Ziervogel is published by Salt Publishing and is available through Waterstones, Amazon and all good bookshops.