My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love
Most readers will have heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: pastor, theologian, and a member of the German resistance movement. Opposed to Hitler’s regime from the beginning, Bonhoeffer was a brilliant thinker and speaker whose philosophy is best expressed in his book The Cost of Discipleship. I knew about Bonhoeffer before reading this novel, but I had never heard of his fiancée, Maria von Wedemeyer, so it was a treat to find out who she was through Barratt’s well-researched novel.
Although she was only 18 to Bonhoeffer’s 36, Maria emerges as an interesting character in her own right. Her dutiful nature and obedience to her mother, who is opposed to the engagement, may be difficult for modern readers to swallow (this is no woman-ahead-of-her-time story), but Barratt stays true to the era and culture in her portrait of this young woman. I also found the ethical dilemmas all the major characters were faced with fascinating and believably rendered.
That said, the first half of the novel dragged for me. Barratt set herself a difficult task to write a love story that involved so little face-to-face time between the couple, and the pace doesn’t pick up until Bonhoeffer is arrested for his involvement in plots to assassinate Hitler. At that point, the novel became both thriller and love story, keeping me glued to the pages.
I’d love to read a sequel that focuses on Maria’s post-Bonhoeffer life: a little research revealed that she studied mathematics, moved to the United States, and became the highest-ranking female computer engineer at Honeywell.
Recommended for fans of Bonhoeffer and those who are interested in the ethical dilemmas that faced anti-Nazis during WWII.
