What Remains is Hope
Beginning in 1930s Germany and based on their real lives, four cousins as close as siblings—Bettina, Trudi, Gustav, and Gertrud—share the experiences of the young, including first loves, marriages, and children.
Bettina, the oldest, struggles to help her parents with their failing business. Trudi dresses in the latest fashions and tries to make everything look beautiful. Gustav is an artist at heart and hopes to one day open a tailoring shop. Gertrud, the youngest, is forced by her parents to keep secrets, but that doesn’t stop her from chasing boys. However, over their seemingly ordinary lives hangs one critical truth—they’re Jewish—putting them increasingly at risk.
When World War II breaks out, the four are still in Germany or German-occupied lands, unable or unwilling to leave. How will these cousins avoid the horrors of the Nazi regime, a regime that wants them dead? Will they be able to avoid the deportations and concentration camps that have claimed their fellow Jews? Danger is their constant companion, and it will take hope and more to survive.
Praise for What Remains is Hope:
The Four Cousins in What Remains is Hope –
Who Were They?
What Remains is Hope tells the story of four Jewish cousins and their efforts to survive the Nazis. Remarkably, three of the four cousins were able to survive in Europe, and the fourth perished close to the end of the war. Through extensive records, the recollections of family members, and some conjecture on my part, I was able to piece together who they were and how they were able to survive when so many others perished.
Bettina
The oldest of the cousins was Bettina. Born in 1911, she was the cousin everyone turned to in times of trouble. Bettina was the sensible one, taking on the problems of everyone, including her parents. And it was her strength of character that would prove critical during the war. This photo suggests a no-nonsense woman:
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| Bettina. (c) Bonnie Suchman |
Gustav
The second cousin, Gustav, born in 1914, was the artist among the cousins. He saw the beauty in the world and aspired to be a clothing designer. It took him a while to find love, but when he found her, he went all in. He loved to dress well and his cousins often teased him that he was never without a scarf, as you can see in the picture below:
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| Gustav. (c) Bonnie Suchman |
Trudi
Trudi was also born in 1914 and grew up in a wealthy family. She loved to dress in the most fashionable of outfits, and was rarely seen without her hat, dress, and shoes matching. Her father loved to drive his family around in his fancy car, but it was their driver Georges who did all of the driving.
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| Trudi, with her father and their driver. (c) Bonnie Suchman |
But Trudi was never showy with her cousins and she showed unexpected strength in protecting her family during the Nazi onslaught.
Gertrud
The youngest of the cousins, Gertrud, was born in 1920. She was adored by her older cousins and grew boy-crazy as she got older. But the secret she was forced to keep as a child gave her the skills to help her and her cousins stay alive and stay connected during the war.
The four cousins had a connection rarely shared even by siblings. When the reader first meets them in 1930, they envision great things for their future and shared those hopes and dreams with each other. None of them could have imagined that in a just a few short years, things would change so dramatically for them and they would be fighting for their lives.
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Bonnie Suchman
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