Review: The Fortunate Ones by Catherine Hokin
“By the time dawn broke, Felix felt like he had lived a dozen lives and run out of tears in them all.”
The Basics
Title: The Fortunate Ones
Author: Catherine Hokin
Published: 2020
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing — Hachette Book Group
Pages: 335
Format: Paperback
Genres: Fiction — Historical fiction, World War II fiction, Romance, Historical romance, World War II romance
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Book Synopsis
Berlin, 1941. In an effort to bolster her family’s standing within the Nazi party, Inge is arranged to be married to Max, an SS officer over twice her age. Having only met the man in passing prior to their engagement, she bears him no love, but unwilling to go against her parents’ wishes, she does not fight the match. Then, a few weeks before her wedding, she sneaks off to a jazz club with her best friend and meets Felix. She is instantly drawn to him, and before parting ways for the night, they kiss and promise to meet again in a few days’ time. When he asks her for her name, she gives him a false one, Hannah Hüber, as she does not want word of her outing to get back to either her parents or Max.
Inge and Felix meet again at their agreed upon place and time, but their reunion is cut short when Inge spots Max at a nearby café. The next time she sees Felix is two years later at Sachsenhausen concentration camp. She is touring Sachsenhausen with her now husband, Max, and Felix is among the rows of prisoners. When Felix spots her next to Max Eichel, the camp’s sadistic doctor, he is unaware that she is his wife and fears that the woman he knows as Hannah is in grave danger.
Spanning 15 years and featuring a dual narrative, The Fortunate Ones explores not only the wartime but also post-war experiences of both Inge and Felix. The atrocities of the war are laid bare, as are its enduring traumas.
My Review & Overall Thoughts
TLDR: A promising book that ended up being just okay.
The Fortunate Ones has the makings of a fantastic book: nuanced characters, historical detail, and a heart-wrenching story. Unfortunately, it does not realize its full potential due to pacing issues and a romance that lacks a proper foundation. When all is said and done, it ends up being a middle-of-the-pack book: not terrible but also not great.
What holds this book back the most is its pacing. Namely, the story frequently jumps ahead in time. For instance, the first 50 pages are set in November and December 1941, and then, the story bounds ahead over a year to February 1943. A little over 50 pages later, the story once again skips ahead – this time to November 1944. These recurring leaps in time are disorienting and jarring. While reading the book, I often found myself flipping back to the previous chapter to see how much time had passed.
The other major issue with this book relates to the romance between Felix and Inge. Specifically, there is no build up to it. It is an insta-romance in which they are enamored with one another at first sight. The story would have been better served had their romance been allowed to blossom over time, as it would have made their separation and subsequent encounters later in the book more impactful and emotional.
The good
The Fortunate Ones has a number of redeeming qualities, including its portrayal of World War II. It brings to life the time period without romanticizing it. The war’s horrors are front and center; the book neither shies away from nor downplays its atrocities.
The characters are also laudable. Inge and Felix are complex, imperfect, and all in all, realistic. Similarly, the conclusion of their relationship arc is also realistic – and heartbreaking.
Overall
The Fortunate Ones could have been a great book, but alas, problematic pacing and the inclusion of an insta-romance prevented it from achieving that distinction. Nonetheless, its characters and depiction of World War II are still worthy of praise.
Have you read The Fortunate Ones? If so, let me know what you thought of it in the comments section below!
