At The Wolf's Table by Rosella Postorino

 

Rosa Sauer finds herself alone in war torn Berlin during WW II.  Her husband Gregor is off fighting on the Russian front and communications are few and far between.  Her parents have been killed in the constant nighttime bombings.  Food and other daily necessities are getting scarcer.  

Rosa takes up the invitation of Gregor's parents to come to live with them on their farm out in the country away from the city.  She decides to do so thinking that it will be a refuge from the daily reminders of the war.  But she is there almost no time when the SS come calling.  They inform her that she and nine other women have been chosen to become Hitler's food testers when he is in residence at Wolfsschanze, the Wolf's Lair which is his country retreat.

The women are taken to the residence three times a time.  An hour before Hitler eats, they must taste everything that will be served to ascertain if his food has been poisoned.  If they are all alive and not sick at the end of the hour, he is served.  Rosa is an outlier here.  Most of the women are locals and most have children and families.  They see her as an interloper and don't get close to her.  But there are others who would love to get closer to her.  Soldiers stationed away from home are always willing to find a new woman and Rosa gets her share of attention.  Can she survive until Gregor gets home or if the worst occurs, until the war is over and she can pick up her life?

This is an interesting historical fiction.  Rosa's story transports the reader to a time and place very unlike their daily lives and asks the question what would one do in order to survive?  Are marriage vows to be honored when each day could be your last?  What will you do to provide for those around you who are dependant upon you?  This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.