The Prisoner

The Prisoner is the much-anticipated sequel to Persephone Books’ bestselling title, Crooked Cross by Sally Carson. It is now August 1933, and the deadly fervour of Hitler’s Nazi regime continues to spread across Germany. Michael Reader, a young Englishman, decides to visit his friends the Klugers at their home in Bavaria.

Michael’s first shock comes when he finds their house empty. After he tracks the family down in Munich, Michael is horrified to see how much their world has changed. Erich and Helmy, the Kluger brothers, are still heavily involved with the Nazi Party. Erich is proud to be ascending the ranks of such a powerful organisation, but Helmy, four years older, is visibly wasting away, racked with guilt, disbelief and sorrow.

After Helmy befriends a young Jewish girl and has a public dispute with a fellow Nazi official, even steadfast Erich begins to fret for Helmy’s – and the family’s – safety. Moving between different characters and perspectives, The Prisoner recounts the constant struggle of existence and survival in Nazi-era Germany.

The Prisoner is part of the Persephone Audiobook Collection, a series of forgotten classics including neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers. This novel was first published in 1936 and now includes a publisher’s afterword.