Structure

“The Nazi Officer’s Wife” by Edith H. Beer and Susan Dworkin is told in fourteen chapters which cover her life leading up to the Nazi invasion and occupation of Vienna, her disguise as an Aryan Christian, the defeat of the Germans in World War II and Edith’s liberation to be herself again. Edith begins her story as Grete, the Aryan Christian she was posing as, who was a nurse’s aide for the Red Cross in war torn Brandenburg. The story then flashes back to Edith’s family pre-war life and education in Vienna. The remainder of the story is told in a mainly chronological order. The story is filled with intrigue and trepidation as Edith, a Jew, portrays herself to be a Christian as she lives and works among the Nazis.

In the Preface, Edith and her co-author Susan Dworkin explain that Edith’s...