"Helmut," Section 1 (Pages 3-14) Summary

The Dark Room, a set of three stories chronicling the events before, during, and after World War II in Germany, follows three characters in their journeys of self-discovery and acceptance. From Helmut, a physically disabled young man unable to join the war effort, to Lore, a young teenager responsible for assisting her four younger siblings in their escape to Hamburg, to Micha, a schoolteacher who discovers his grandfather's past as an SS man in the German military, these characters embark on harrowing journeys which test the foundations of all they know and love. A powerful novel filled with emotional and psychological discovery, The Dark Room draws a complete image of Germany's involvement in World War II, and the lingering effects of that war on the country's youngest generations.

During April of 1941, Helmut is born in...