There are a few cases when I would like to give a book 6 stars, but this is one of them. Having lived in Germany ten years after WWII, the book brought back memories of things I was told by people who lived there during the war. I think the author connected with the sadness of those memories. The people who survived, those that were lost, and the daily hardships. The characters were well rounded. The fantasy aspects with the addition of a golem (Ava) added a different aspect to the war story, but it made the story work when you ask. "What is life?" I have found a new favorite author.