Past imperfect

Kelly Rimmer’s The German Wife tells the story of Sofie and Jürgen, who must compromise their beliefs to stay alive under Hitler’s regime. When they move to Alabama in 1950, their past affiliation fuels idle gossip that turns to violent rage within their community.

Costco Connection What inspired this book?

Kelly Rimmer In 2019, I went to a festival to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, and there saw an exhibit that mentioned German scientists working on the early U.S. space program. I was struck by how unlikely that arrangement was. Just a few years earlier, those people had been on opposing sides of a horrific war—but they worked together and achieved one of humanity’s most astounding technological accomplishments.

CC What did you learn while working on this book that most surprised you?

KR I learned so much about such a wide range of topics researching this book– about the rise of the Nazi party in Germany, about the war years, about the Great Depression and the American Dust Bowl, and, of course, about Operation Paperclip. The very existence of that program, and what those scientists achieved together, still astounds me.

The German Wife (Item 2022830) will be available in July in most Costco warehouses. —AL