It was 1942 in Bergen when Rumi Orlstad’s future husband Magnus drowned at sea. He was part of the Norwegian resistance movement along with Rumi. Resistance duties included smuggling British agents, supplies, and fugitives across the North Sea into Scotland (nicknamed the Shetland Bus, a permanent link between Mainland Shetland in Scotland and Norway). Rumi’s fisherman father Peder, her almost-brother Rubio, along with her best friend and neighbor Marjit assist in their own ways with the goal of ridding Norway of the Germans.
Rumi helps rescue two SOE (Special Operations Executive) agents, and Jens Parks was one of them. He and Rumi eventually work together to free Anya, who was date raped by a German officer. She lived at one of the Lebensborn maternity homes. Hitler wanted to enhance Aryan genes and Norwegians matched his ideals. Many Norwegian women had consensual sex with Nazis or were raped. Some of those women were housed in a Lebensborn location until they gave birth. Those babies were given to childless German families to raise as their own.
I was unaware of much of the above information regarding the occupation of Norway. I was also unaware of Lebensborn which was begun by Heinrich Himmler. (There were multiple Lebornsborn locations in Germany, Norway, and occupied northern Europe, including Poland.)
An interesting story for historical fiction readers! (The Nazi German occupation of Norway began on April 9, 1940 and continued until May 9, 1945.) .
~Emma
Read it or Weep 