People Like Us

Historical fiction is on the up with the likes of Heather Morris, A Woman of War, The Boy Who Followed his Father into Auschwitz.

Louise Fein is the author of People Like Us, her debut novel. It is a story of forbidden love and the brainwashing of a nation, set in 1930's Leipzig, and was inspired by the experiences of her family who fled Leipzig as refugees in 1933. The novel has been published in thirteen territories and has been shortlisted for the RSL Christopher Bland Prize 2021, as well as for the RNA Historical Novel of the Year award 2021. Her second novel, The Hidden Child, is set in 1920's England and tells the story of a couple who are ardent supporters of the burgeoning Eugenics movement, until their own daughter turns out to be not quite perfect. She holds an MA in creative writing from St Mary's University, London, and lives in Surrey with her family.

Beautiful and absorbing - a vital story of kindness, and a reminder that humanity can flourish in the darkest of times
Part romance, part character study, part call to arms. The subject matter - racial hate - is sensitive but we are in safe hands with Fein who writes with great passion and urgency. The minor characters are living, breathing, three-dimensional people, each with their own motivations and dark secrets
[People Like Us] spins childhood innocence shattered, the tendency for society to carry us along in wrong directions, and the importance of standing up against tyranny in ways small and large into an absorbing, heart-wrenching story of love and letting go - and a lesson for us all
I adored this book because not only is is beautifully written, it also tells a familiar story from a very unfamiliar perspective: that of a naïve German teenager caught up in the rise of Nazism,and her gradual realisation of the inhumanity driven by Aryan fanaticism. Louise Fein's characters help us understand how so many people were taken in by Nazi propaganda, and the terrible, heartbreaking dilemmas they faced trying to protect the people they loved. This is historical fiction at its absolute best
A powerful, unforgettable love story
Moving and extremely powerful'
A nerve-wracking and gripping read... Louise's cherished goal is to remind us all that we are all the same, and she encourages us all to cherish freedom of speech, debate and the acceptance of difference'
Powerful and poignant, moving and provocative, this beautifully eloquent novel is set before and during the Second World War. People Like Us highlights love, humanity and kindness in the terrifying face of intolerance and hate... This is one to climb the rooftops and shout about'
A compelling tale of forbidden love set in 1930's Leipzig
Terrifying, yet tender. I loved it
A spellbinding story of impossible love set against the backdrop of the Nazi regime
A love story with deep resonance as it tackles the contemporary issue of rising popularism and antisemitism
This heart-breaking, thought-provoking story about forbidden love and racial hate reminds us that even in the bleakest of times love, decency and humanity will triumph
The ending packs a considerable punch
An emotionally compelling and skilfully crafted debut novel... People Like Us is a book of brutal truths, uplifting bravery and both a condemnation of inhumanity and a joyful celebration of mankind's innate capacity for good... With a little help from love'