The Watchmaker of Dachau- Review

The Watchmaker of Dachau by Carly Schabowski

Publication Date: 20th Jan 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction, WW II

4.5 Stars

The Watchmaker of Dachau is yet another story that deals with the horrors of WW II. The main story is set during 1945, the last few months, where people who could escape for years got captured and tortured. Many more lost lives while some continued to hope and survive, waiting to be rescued.

The prologue and epilogue are set in 1996, Cornwall, England. The past is divided into three POVs (though all are written in the third person). Issac, the watchmaker, Anna, the maid, and Friedrich, the son of Senior Officer Becher and his bratty wife, are the major three people who offer us viewpoints. We see another POV, one that is filled with love, pain, confusion, memories, and philosophy.

Characters like Greta, Jan, Nina, Elijah, Levi, and others add to the story. We see many thoughts and reactions from the characters, all of which seem as real as they can get. It is evident that the author did her research very well. She and her editor also made sure not to dump their research into the book.

The focus was on bringing the characters to life and making them appear human rather than using them as mere tools to share historical details. For me, that’s what made the book so effective. I love how Friedrich’s character was used throughout the book. It’s one of the highlights of the story.

The writing is both descriptive and concise. It’s not fast-paced but is not too slow to make the reader lose interest.

Right from the prologue, we see hints provided to the reader about what’s to come. This is no crime fiction, but it’s seemed like the author’s way of preparing the reader and allowing them to make their own conclusions. It is clever writing.

I was disappointed by the ending (not for what it is was, but well, I wished it to be a wee bit different). I don’t want to say more and reveal anything. That said, I did have an inkling that it would be on similar lines (ref: hints).

Overall, this is a sad yet beautiful book about love, hope, and rebuilding a new life after surviving the worst nightmare.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bookouture and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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