In Our Quiet Village

Can you imagine learning that your grandfather attempted murdering his wife and killed himself?

Well as much as this may sound like something out of a bad movie or too unbelievable to believe for Mary Lou Chayes this really did happen. When Mary’s mother, Minna was ninety years old, she finally broke her silence and told Mary the nightmare she lived as a little girl.

Karl Bauer was the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Susanna came from a good family. While attending church, Karl is introduced to Susanna for the first time. It is in the moment that Karl knows he must get to know Susanna better. They eventually got married. They ended up giving birth to Minna and her brother, Hans. Susanna later dies and Karl marries his second cousin, Herta.

Karl was a changed man when Susanna died. Minna was the apple of her father’s eye. Minna couldn’t stand Herta. She was a evil and spiteful woman. It got so bad that when Minna was sixteen years old, her father shoot Herta and then killed himself.

Author, Mary Lou Chayes really brought to live her mother’s story. Most times with non fiction stories, they can be a bit dull or be too self absorbed. I didn’t find this to be the case with this book. My only issue I had with this book is that most of the other people besides, Karl, Minna, Susanna, Hans and Herta, I found that there were too many different people coming at me at the same time. I admit that I got confused at the beginning. The pictures inserted in this book were a surprise and very nice. It was nice to put a face to a name. I felt bad for Karl and Minna having to put up with Herta. Minna’s father was a good man. Overall, In Our Quiet Village was a good book.