BookBrowse Reviews The Most Dazzling Girl In Berlin by Kip Wilson

BookBrowse:

Set against the backdrop of Hitler's rise to power and the mounting bigotry it fostered, this young adult novel-in-verse is a hopeful love letter to the resilience of the queer community.

At the center of this historical young adult novel is 18-year-old orphan Hilde, who has just aged out of the care system and been cast into the streets of 1930s Berlin to fend for herself. Securing work as a waitress in one of the city's vibrant queer clubs, she can finally explore her identity and look toward the future. But as Germany prepares for an election, her newfound happiness is soon under threat. With the Nazi Party and their policies of hatred and exclusion gaining popularity, Hitler's followers feel emboldened to single out and attack anyone considered "other."

Author Kip Wilson skillfully showcases the importance of found family and safe spaces within the queer community. It is heartening to witness the mutual kindness shown between Hilde's patrons and co-workers, as well as the joy they feel at being able to express themselves, and to experiment with their gender and sexuality. This is not to say life for queer people in Germany prior to World War II was perfect. Officially, homosexuality was still illegal, but with many people in Berlin adopting a live-and-let-live approach, the city had a thriving gay scene nonetheless. In fact, it was so well known as a hub for queer people, many of the community's clubs and bars appeared on tourist guides. Seeing one such club in its heyday, albeit an imagined version, adds poignancy, with modern readers knowing all too well the persecution queer people would soon face under Nazi rule.

Well-handled subplots add further depth to the narrative. One of these concerns Hilde's attempts to overcome stage fright so she can sing at the club (as is typically expected of the waitresses) and pursue a career in music. There's a nice metaphor here about finding your voice and using it to better your prospects. We also see, through one of Hilde's co-workers, how easy it was for perfectly nice, ordinary people to be corrupted by the propaganda of the time, driving divisions between former friends and encouraging people to turn on each other.

Structurally, the story is presented in verse, but this needn't daunt anyone who struggles to connect with poetry. On the contrary, it's incredibly readable. The format serves to create the intimacy of a diary — short, sharp passages get to the heart of the protagonist's innermost thoughts and emotions. By painting scenes in broad strokes like this, Wilson never bogs herself down with detail, which keeps the novel fast-paced and focused firmly on its characters. This makes it easier for us to feel invested in their fates. It is only during the final act that this stylistic choice can leave things feeling a little too rushed. More time to linger over the climax could have allowed for greater emotional impact and a more satisfying payoff at the story's end.

Novels that focus on the horrors of Nazi Germany are understandably powerful, but there is something uniquely bittersweet about focusing on the weeks and months prior to Hitler taking full control. By showcasing just how much people had to lose — their lives, as well as their culture and right to live freely — we can better appreciate just how much resilience was required to make it through the darkest of times, for those that did.

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in April 2022, and has been updated for the April 2023 edition. Click here to go to this issue.

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