Very Brief Synopsis of KILLING GRETL, a novel by Jen du Bay

Extraordinarily Brief Synopsis

(Really, it's an extremely brief nutshell, but whatever. Sum it up like the back of a book cover, right? If you want more, just ask. And yes, that link is supposed to lead you off site, but don't worry -- I own Advanced Workouts, so the message will reach me.)

It’s 1958, and World War II is over. At least it’s supposed to be.

During the 1950s and well before, being left-handed was unacceptable. Children were beaten, humiliated, accused of a connection with Satan or of having Communistic tendencies. This practice of forcing a left-handed child to become right-handed was glossed over and accepted, but it placed lasting effects on both the child and the parents. My novel, Killing Gretl, focuses on Lisbeth Bailee and her mother, Gretl, as they grapple with Lisbeth’s left-handed inclinations.

During the reign of the Third Reich, Gretl was interred in a Konzentrationslager—betrayed by her father for not adhering to the political standards of the time, she remained a prisoner for the duration of the war. Unlike so many others, she made it through the war alive, eventually settling in America to live the ideal life—loving husband, healthy daughter, warm and stable home. Yet things aren’t that easy for Gretl; the shadow of the Konzentrationslager remains imbedded, hidden like a faded red leaf inside her chest, perpetually shading her everyday life in ways she can’t seem to control.

After she discovers Lisbeth is left-handed, Gretl launches a campaign to change her daughter’s hand preference. With motivations colored by the time spent in a Konzentrationslager, Gretl feels that “weakness equals death,” and she needs her daughter to conform to society’s standards. Gretl’s insistence that her daughter make the switch causes Lisbeth to assume her mother isn’t proud of her. She craves her mother’s acceptance and love, but feels she won't receive it until she changes. She’s afraid of being evil, of turning into a Communist—all those things her teachers tell her will happen, if she doesn’t stop using her left hand. She tries, but it’s difficult.

When Gretl’s life is threatened by destructive eating patterns caused by guilt from her days in the Konzentrationslager, and when her father suddenly reappears after a terrifying absence of over ten years, her world closes up to just one realization: she can’t be a parent like her father. She’s betraying her daughter just as he betrayed her, and she needs to stop it. Now.

Killing Gretl is a story of redemption from unlikely and unintentional places: the forming of human beings and how, in the end, life and death blend together to form a concrete, stable circle. The novel was inspired by the many stories my mother told me about her own left-handed experience during the 1950’s; as my research progressed, I heard similar tales of humiliation and fear from several of the millions who have been plagued because of their left-handed preference. In the vein of novels such as Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Killing Gretl will appeal to anyone who has ever experienced frustration, self-doubt, and the perseverance to overcome.