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Rosella Postorino writes an impressively researched blend of historical fact and fiction in this translated novel, already an Italian bestseller. It is inspired by the late in life interview and revelations of Margot Wolk of her unusual wartime role as a food taster for Hitler. In 1943, it was becoming increasingly clear that Germany were unlikely to win the war, Hitler was feeling increasingly hemmed in and paranoid with his growing number of enemies, living in his hidden, secure and well guarded headquarters at Wolfschanze (Wolf's Lair). With her parents dead, 26 year old Rosa Sauer escapes the Allied bombardment of Berlin, to her husband, Gregor's parents more rural abode, where she stands out like a sore thumb as a urban dweller. However, safety is the last thing she gets when she is recruited by the SS to be part of a group of women who are to taste all Hitler's meals to ensure he does not get poisoned, whilst under the gaze of the well armed soldiers.

There is an inherent contradiction in Rosa's role, on the one hand she eats well in comparison to other Germans facing starvation, but on the other hand, there is the fear of living under constant threat, of playing a version of Russian roulette, where each meal may be her last one. She is not a member of the Nazi party, but she is playing the role of collaborator in ensuring that Hitler continues to live. She faces a number of moral dilemmas, but has chosen to do whatever it takes to survive, selecting to remain blind and ignorant to what has been happening under Nazi rule and the horrors perpetrated by them. Insights are provided into the group of women tasters, the simmering conflicts, strains and tensions between the regime loyalists and those who are more critical, the abuse the women face and the relationships that are formed between them.

This is a story of guilt, shame, love, fear and secrets, of what life was like for many ordinary Germans, the difficulties of speaking out, the moral ambiguities of being at war, and the repercussions of WW2 on those who survived. Rosa can be a hard woman to empathise with, her emotional coldness and distance, and her decisions and behaviour hard to understand. This is a dark, disturbing and unsettling read, an uncomfortable rendering of how human beings can behave when living under the pressures of war, where the unacceptable becomes all too normal, under a murderous, heavily controlling, Nazi regime. This is a beautifully written novel, but an uneven read which paints a intensely chilling picture of WW2 and its fallout. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.