A Break in the Storm

A Break in the Storm
Arnold Simon
Noldan Publishing
ISBN: 0-9749312-1-7
Fiction, Historical Fiction
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

It is Pre-World War II Germany. Five individuals from five very different backgrounds are about to be brought together and tested in ways they could never have imagined. Erich Behrndt is a young idealistic paper pusher fascinated by the teachings of Hitler. Josef Steeg, a World War I veteran and hero, is Erich’s overseer. Lise Hermann is a young girl who was raised by nuns after the death of her German parents. Stefan Mueller is half Jewish and a well respected Physics Professor. Andre Laroche joined the allied force at age seventeen in hopes of revenging the mass murder of his parents and neighbours by German troupes during WWI.
A Break in the Storm is a realistically dramatic yet tastefully written book about the lives and interactions of these five individuals. Much of the activities in this book mirror sediments and actions that might have occurred in the years preceding World War II. This gives the reader much insight into the lives of people during this important time period.
The best aspect of this book, however, is the detailed character development. Each character is represented with realistic strengths, weaknesses, and belief systems. Furthermore, the author does an excellent job at describing how each individual has been influenced by his or her past. Moreover, each character evolves in a natural way as the book progresses. The interactions between these well developed characters are also extremely well thought and quite intuitive.