Obsessed by Ted Dekker

 

The time, 1944.  The location, a Nazi work camp for women named Torun.  Margaret and Ruth arrive on the same day and both are pregnant.  They worry for their babies because the Commandant is known for his cruelty.  The women are worked hard and fed little.  Periodically, one comes back to the barracks to find a red scarf on her bed and that is a death sentence.  She must go to the Commandant's quarters and by the morning, her body will be found hanging from the gates.

Ruth has her baby and Margaret is not far behind.  They obsess that one will have a girl and one a boy and those children will grow and fall in love.  They see that as an ultimate victory over the camp and the cruel men that run it.  When Margaret is chosen for the death ritual, Ruth takes her place so that Margaret can have her baby also.  Margaret promises to raise both children as her own.

Current time.  Margaret has just died in Los Angeles.  She had never found her son or Ruth's daughter although she spent her life looking for them.  She leaves a letter and a box behind for her son.  Now the next generation will play out the obsessions of their parents.  Will the children, now grown, find each other or will the Commandant's son kill them both?

Ted Dekker is known for his thrillers.  He had an unorthodox childhood, his parents missionaries who lived among the cannibals of Indonesia.  This upbringing can be seen in the novels he writes with supernatural elements.  This book explores the concepts of sacrifice, cruelty and the will to live no matter the circumstances one encounters.  The reader will be taken on a rollercoaster ride as the children play out their parents' obsessions and on the edge of their seat wondering who will survive.  This book is recommended for thriller readers.