The Exiles Return

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Set in Occupied Vienna during 1954-5, the story follows five individuals returning to reclaim their lost lives after the war. Professor Kuno Adler, a Jewish scientist who fled to New York after the Anschluss, confronts the challenges of returning to a changed city and navigating its moral complexities. Wealthy Greek Kanakis seeks to buy an eighteenth-century hotel to recreate a life of luxury, while his relationship with the penniless Bimbo, a young aristocrat whose anti-Nazi parents were murdered, explores themes of entitlement and love in a post-war context. Bimbo's sister, Princess Nina, lives modestly in their family's former palais, embodying loyalty and hard work despite her self-perceived unattractiveness. Lastly, 18-year-old Marie-Theres, or Resi, returns from America, feeling out of place and seeking to establish roots with her Austrian relatives. Each character grapples with moral dilemmas upon their return, reflecting diverse responses to exile. The author, Elisabeth de Waal, draws from her own background, paralleling her experiences with those of her characters, particularly identifying with Adler. As she navigated her own post-war life in England, she produced several novels, with this being her first published work.