Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back, Aubrey Taylor

Talkshow Thursday: 

Welcome Back, Aubrey Taylor

The original German versions of our most well-loved fairy tales often end tragically, unlike the retellings we are used to. Happily Ever After isn’t my forte either, and as an author of German-perspective World War II fiction, there is only so much happiness one can scrounge up by the last years of the war, with hunger, devastation, disillusionment, and hundreds of thousands of German men in POW camps.

My novella Schneewittchen combines elements of the German fairy tale we know as Snow White with elements of more modern retellings. Then, it brings the story to Germany in 1944.

Snow White is a story about a girl with a pure heart who has been driven into the forest by terrible circumstances. In my version, Gerda Gatzke is sent from East Prussia, where the war draws ever nearer to her doorstep, to a smallholding in rural Bavaria, far away from the front. Her task? To provide help to six brothers and their ailing mother.

A threat on Gerda’s life soon causes her charges to become her protectors.

As the oldest of seven boys, Thomas Jodl is already away from home, serving his country. He has heard

of Gerda’s sweet spirit through his mother’s letters, and it is no surprise that he has already begun to fall in love with her. She, in turn, has heard about Thomas’s strength and kindness—and secretly adores the ever-present photo of him on the mantle.

One wonders what causes the hero and heroine of a fairy tale to fall in love (and often get married) so quickly. It is understandable, coming from modern readers, but it is also worth noting that quick marriages were not uncommon in wartime. People knew they were not guaranteed tomorrow. Though Thomas was not directly involved in combat, Gerda had every reason to believe that he would be taken as a prisoner of war eventually.

German POWs had different trajectories based on a multitude of factors. Most of the men who were taken into captivity on the Eastern Front (Russia) did not make it home. On the other hand, many who came to America were treated well, and some even moved to America after their release.

The Allies also made efforts to separate regular soldiers from those deemed to be unrepentant “Nazis,” and often, SS men were treated more harshly than members of the German Army, no questions asked.

Though Thomas bore a “blood group” tattoo under his arm indicating that he was a member of the SS, his character was evident, and there was no doubt about his innocence when it came to the atrocities for which the Germans were being accused. As a POW, he spent time in the USA and was then sent to England to help with rebuilding.

When Thomas and Gerda finally get their Happily Ever After, it doesn’t look like the sparkling endings we see in fairy tale movies. Rather, it is true to life. I hope that it reminds readers that finding happiness (or rather, joy, which has far greater value) is a choice, especially when everything around you has fallen apart. Thomas says:

[Gerda] shakes her head. “I’m all right, Thomas. What I went through was difficult, but what others went through was so much worse. If my experience makes me more sensitive to those around me, then it was absolutely worth it.”

Drawing her close with my free arm, I breathe a prayer and thank God for the woman He’s given me. If other people learn to love the way my Gerda does, there will be hope for us all.

__________________

Schneewittchen: A Retelling of the Snow White Story Set in WWII Germany

Gerda Gatzke is unsure whether life on a Bavarian homestead with six boys and an ailing woman is right for her, but she is determined to get away from her stepmother, and from the war that draws ever closer to her doorstep.

With little more than the clothes on her back and a treasured family heirloom, she arrives at the disheveled smallholding only to discover that she is no safer there than she was at home. The boys who were initially her charges soon become her protectors.

With his mother’s illness growing worse and his family in danger, Thomas Jodl determines to return home for the first time in five years. His heart is warmed by the kind-hearted young woman who has come to care for his mother and six brothers.

Thomas does not hesitate to place himself in danger, but when the threat neutralized, a new question arises: what will become of any of them once the war is lost?

Schneewittchen is one of four novellas in A Worthy Love: A Collection of Historical Fairytale Retellings, Part of Fairy Tale Frenzy from Beyond the Bookery. A Worthy Love also includes stories from Aliana Jane, Liz Chapman, and Rebecca Lange.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3I9i35T

About Aubrey

Aubrey Reiss Taylor unites a fascination for history with a passion for redemption, creating a unique brand of gritty, honest wartime sagas, written from the German perspective. She is the mother of three, and married to her best friend Brian. When she’s not writing or taking care of home and family, she enjoys making music, dancing, reading, and spending time with friends.

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Photo credits:

Author and book images: Courtesy of Aubrey Taylor

Soldiers on Motorcycle: Pixabay/Istvan Karoly Bocs

Prison Camp: Courtesy Kansas State Historical Society