Publication Date: May 28, 2025
Poland, 1943. “We owe you our lives.” The elderly woman clasps my hands before climbing the attic ladder to hide with her family. I am filled with anger, sadness and fear: but I can’t give in to my tears now. Not when this isn’t the only secret I’m keeping from the German soldiers next door…
When German soldiers take over the neighboring farm in her little village, Aneta tries to pretend life with her four-year-old son, Janek, is continuing as normal. No-one can ever know about the Jewish doctor’s family she’s hiding.
The doctor saved Janek’s life: and kept the identity of his father a secret. Aneta owes him everything. But when a blue-eyed lieutenant knocks on her door, they are all in terrible danger. Because the soldier is Janek’s father.
Johann was once the love of Aneta’s life. But when he joined the German invaders, he changed. And if he knew the truth, Johann wouldn’t just take her son from her. The family she’s been hiding would be in terrible danger.
With the German presence setting Aneta’s tiny town on edge, villagers start turning on each other, and the threat of betrayal grows each day. Can Aneta keep the Jewish family a secret when so many eyes are on them? And with Johann haunting her steps, will she be able to protect her son and make sure they all survive?
Perfect for fans of The Midwife of Auschwitz, Rhys Bowen, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz. You won’t be able to put down this heart-wrenching and totally addictive World War 2 historical novel.
As the Germans move into Poland, a brave woman must protect both her family and the secrets she keeps.
Author Gosia Nealon delivers a heartrending slice of historical fiction with vivid characters caught up in the devastation of World War II. The German Next Door centers around the themes of love, loss, and betrayal as Aneta and her village deal with German soldiers bent on destruction.
Meanwhile, Aneta’s close friend in another village watches as her loved ones are slaughtered, and she gets herded into a camp. There, she must rely on courage and hope to survive. Her story unfolds in conjunction with Aneta’s efforts to maintain her secrets with soldiers and a face from the past watching her every move.
Full of emotional twists, the atrocities of the war and subsequent treatment of Poles and Jews are highlighted. The characters and their struggles to survive will resonate with readers.
The German Next Door tells an emotional story of survival and loss amid the Nazi invasion of Poland.
While Gosia Nealon is a proud New Yorker, she was born and raised in Poland. Her journey to the Big Apple revealed a wealth of cultural differences, but also the values that connect us all. Like the fierce desire to protect family, find love, and ultimately, discover who we are and why we’re here.
Gosia’s award-winning short stories have always delved into life’s biggest questions, but it was the drama, sacrifice, and tragedy of WWII that led her to pen her debut novel, which won a gold medal in the 2022 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY).
Growing up in Poland, Gosia heard many firsthand accounts of the war, told from a perspective rarely captured in mainstream literature. She was compelled to breathe life into two young people falling in love in the midst of the most terrifying conflict of our time.
When Gosia isn’t tapping away at her laptop, she’s often walking the streets of New York. With her husband and two young sons in tow, they search for the most succulent pierogi, transporting them back to the cobbled streets of her childhood.
