Description
When Helga Schneider was four, her mother, Traudi, abandoned her to pursue her career. In 1998, Helga received a letter asking her to visit Traudi, now 90-years old, before she dies. Mother and daughter have met only once after Traudi left, on a disastrous visit where Helga first learnt the terrible secret of her mother's past.
Traudi was as an extermination guard in Auschwitz and Ravensbruck and was involved in Nazi 'medical' experiments on prisoners. She has never expressed even the slightest remorse for her actions, yet Helga still hopes that at this final meeting she will find some way to forgive her mother.
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About the Author
Shaun Whiteside is an award-winning translator from French, German, Italian and Dutch. His most recent translations from German include Aftermath by Harald Jahner, To Die in Spring by Ralf Rothmann, Swansong 1945 by Walter Kempowski, Berlin Finale by Heinz Rein and The Broken House by Horst Kruger.
Reviews
A powerful, painful book about moral responsibility * Guardian *
Remarkable... Helga Schneider's frank account is desperately sad and powerful. Unforgettable * Jewish Telegraph *
Frightening and fascinating * Mail on Sunday *
Let Me Go grips the reader completely * Glasgow Herald *
The book evocatively portrays the deprivations of wartime Berlin and the devastating emotional impact of one evil individual * Irish Times *
Book Information
ISBN 9780099443742
Author Helga Schneider
Format Paperback
Page Count 160
Imprint Vintage
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 143g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 12mm