Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion: Book Review - Leaving Fatherland by Matt Graydon

Leaving Fatherland
By Matt Graydon

Publication Date: 20th August 2024

Publisher: Cranthorpe Millner Publishers

Page Length: 376 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Oskar Bachmann always imagined that giving his first lecture would be the defining moment of his life. It was, but not in the way he expected... Growing up a misfit in Nazi Germany, a victim of his father's beatings, Oskar's love of books is a constant comfort in a world turned upside-down by violence. As a student, as a pilot in the brutal Luftwaffe during the Second World War, in an unhappy marriage to an English bride, he finds himself returning over and over to the circumstances of his childhood. What was the source and cause of his father's abuse? Could there have been more to it than he had once believed? Little did Oskar know that his first lecture at the University of Tubingen would ultimately lead to the end of a lifetime of searching... and finally reveal the figure who had been controlling his life from a distance.

Oskar Bachmann does not know why his father, Karl, dislikes him. Despite Oskar’s sincere desire to gain his father’s respect, his efforts only exacerbate his father’s animosity. And so, he must suffer the brutal punishments and the constant mental abuse. His mother is the only person he can turn to for comfort.

Due to the growing popularity of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party and Karl’s escalating violence towards Oskar, Aneta realizes she must get her son out of the country to ensure his safety. Thankfully, Oskar is blessed with a quick mind and a deep thirst for knowledge. He secures himself a place at the University of New York, but even in New York, he finds himself unwillingly drawn back into the folds of the Fatherland.

Matt Graydon’s gripping historical fiction novel, Leaving Fatherland, captivates readers with its compelling storytelling and unforgettable characters. Keep some tissues nearby when you read this book, as it’s quite an emotional journey. The way Graydon comprehends and expresses the complexities of human existence, including its frailty and strength, is a testament to his greatness as a novelist. Moreover, Graydon possesses a sharp intuition for what makes a book engaging and compels readers to continue reading.

Oskar’s moral and psychological development takes centre stage in this novel. Fate has a way of drawing Oskar back to the Fatherland. Although he wishes to stay in New York, the circumstances have rendered that choice impossible, forcing him to join the Luftwaffe and engage in combat against the Allied Forces. He does not want to fight, nor does he want to die, and his fear of death is palatable. Although some pilots enjoy the excitement of battle and brag about killing civilians, Oskar is deeply disgusted by the notion of taking someone’s life. Oskar finds himself in some very sticky situations when in combat, but somehow, he manages to survive while others do not, causing further emotional strain on his already fragile mental health. When reading, it’s impossible not to wonder why he survives and how he manages to land on his feet every time. Oskar is clueless about the identity of this influential friend who looks out for him, and he avoids thinking about it too much - he is too busy living in the moment to wonder how his mother paid for his passage to America and why he always seems to land on his feet. He certainly doesn’t find any answers with his nose buried in books; it’s only later in the novel that he reflects on his experiences and starts questioning why. Why him? External forces constantly influence his life, right up until the end, and the emotional upheaval caused by others leaves a lasting impact, making his story a tragedy. As a result, readers can genuinely empathize with him and acknowledge his inherent goodness.

The author investigates the exploration of the dynamics within parent-child relationships. Oskar endures ongoing physical and mental abuse from his father, and this significantly impacts Oskar’s role in the family, and of course his life. The portrayal of him being beaten is extremely distressing, and his efforts to conceal the bruises with his mother’s makeup are heartbreaking. Oskar often compares himself to his brother, Emil, who can do no wrong in his father’s eyes. Emil is completely different to him, he follows in his father’s footsteps, he is a member of the Hitler Youth, and he is everything Oskar is not and could never be. Oskar isn’t a bully like his father and sibling. The author also conveys a sense of comparison between Oskar’s father and the Nazi Regime. His mother, in stark contrast to her husband, is a compassionate and kind woman who strives to protect Oskar despite her inability to confront her husband. She encourages his love for reading and she knows that for him the only way out of this situation is a decent education away from Germany. So, she sends him to New York and hopes that he has a better future than the one she is facing. He is driven to study psychology because he wants to know why his father treats him as he does, but without really knowing him, he can only guess the reason. The abuse he suffers as a child stays with him throughout his life, he never truly recovers from it. Ironically, in later life, Oskar finds it hard to connect with his own children, and thus generation trauma continues to the next generation.

While the story primarily centres around Oskar’s life, the author briefly shifts focus to Oskar’s father, Karl. The Reich highly values the work of Karl and Herr Weigl, but Karl’s vulnerability to material temptations leads him into a situation he cannot handle. He promptly recognizes he’s in over his head, but his situation spirals out of control and he quickly finds himself in deep trouble. Karl serves as a reminder of the Nazi’s human experimentation program, specifically targeting what they considered “sub-humans.” The extent of suffering faced by those who were considered racially inferior (most notably the Jews) in the quest for medical progress is highly disturbing, serving as a stark reminder of the utter cruelty of the Nazi regime. It’s ironic that Oskar and Karl, with opposing views on the Nazi party, both find themselves considering leaving the Fatherland.

This book should be praised for its meticulous historical detailing. Graydon has skilfully portrayed not only one but multiple eras - it is, after all, the narrative of Oskar’s life. Graydon has a novelist eye for detail, not only with regard to the history of the eras, in which it is very obvious that he has spent many hours researching, but also in the study of human fallibility. Graydon has created characters that are very real in the telling and has crafted an utterly compelling plot.

Leaving Fatherland by Matt Graydon is a gripping novel that compels readers to keep turning those pages. Once you start reading, it becomes nearly impossible to put down this book. For readers who appreciate well-crafted Historical Fiction that immerses them in the World War II era and beyond, this book is an essential addition to their collection. It is a narrative that will leave an indelible mark on readers’ minds.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde.

Pick up your copy of

Leaving Fatherland
at the following bookstores:
Amazon
Waterstones
Folyes
Hatchards

Matt Graydon

Matt Graydon has always written stories, first as a schoolboy, then as a journalist and PR and now, in the culmination of his life’s work, as a writer of striking historical fiction. He likes to explore offbeat perspectives, inspired by true stories, especially in his tales of life in wartime. In his recently published short story, Saigo No Tatakai, his account of a kamikaze attack on a British warship is seen through the eyes of both the pilot’s wife and a Royal Navy sailor who witnessed it up close. Now, in his first novel, Leaving Fatherland, inspired by a true story, Graydon tells the tale of a liberal German who returns home from his life as a New York university student to fight for the Nazis.

Matt is half-Irish, grew up in a loving but strictly religious home and spent many months in hospital beds as a child. Now he enjoys spending his non-writing time standing in remote fields at night viewing and photographing stars and galaxies through his telescope, or attempting to keep his unruly Surrey garden in check. He lives in the one-pub village of South Nutfield with his wife and daughter, and sometimes son, who easily exceeded his father’s one year stay at university in the 1980s. Oh, and the family Cockapoo, Ozzy, a regular companion under the armchair, inherited from his grandpa, where he writes. Well-travelled, his passion for writing was ignited, at age 21, during a three-month, action-packed, hitch-hike across the USA, when his escapades made great material for an in-depth diary and, perhaps, one day, story.

Connect with Matt: