Publishers Weekly
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Meissner's propulsive latest (after As Bright as Heaven) is the story of a teenage German-American girl sent to an American internment camp near the end of WWII, where she's befriended by a Japanese-American girl. The friendship lasts only 18 months, because Elise Sontag; her brother, Max; and her German-born parents-torn first from their lives in Iowa and then from a Texas compound called Crystal City-are repatriated to Germany before the final bombings. The girls quickly lose touch, but at age 81, Elise remembers Mariko Inoue, who had been relocated to Crystal City from California with her siblings and Japanese parents, and eventually repatriated to Japan. The elderly Elise relives the depth of her brief friendship with Mariko ("I'm a different person for having known her"), submerging readers in those memories and in recollections of the terrifying 1945 carpet bombings in Germany and suffering heartbreaking losses during her teen years. Saved by marriage to a wealthy American who brings her back to the U.S., Elise nevertheless holds the memory of her friend close throughout the following decades and becomes determined to locate Mariko one last time. Vivid historical detail and elegant prose bolster this rewarding story of profound friendship, family, fear, and the pain that arose for American-born children of immigrant parents. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Elise Sontag is American, but when WWII breaks out, the fact that her parents are German immigrants trumps that. Soon Elise and her family are sent to Crystal City, an internment camp in the Texas desert. Though there are unspoken divisions between prisoners of German and Japanese descent, Elise befriends Mariko, a fellow first-generation American with a vivid imagination. The two lose touch when their families are repatriated, and the focus shifts to Elise struggling to adjust to life in Germany, where she faces a language barrier and bombings in equal measures. The story is driven by present-day Elise, struggling to make a connection before she loses her memories to Alzheimer's. Meissner (As Bright as Heaven, 2018) gently explores a little-known aspect of American internment camps: things are hot and unpleasant, but there is plenty of food and friendship among the German and Japanese prisoners. Despite the hardships she endures, Elise remains optimistic and open to love, which comes from an unexpected place after the war. A heartbreaking, thought-provoking work of historical women's fiction.--Susan Maguire Copyright 2019 Booklist

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A German-American girl becomes best friends with a Japanese-American girl in an internment camp during World War II.Elise Sontag feels like a normal American teenager in 1943 even though her parents grew up in Germany. But then her father is arrested because the authorities think he might be a Nazi sympathizer, leaving Elise, her mother, and her brother all alone. Eventually, their family is able to be together againin a family internment camp in Texas. Although there are others of German descent and also some Italians, the majority of the camp's residents are of Japanese descent. People of different nationalities don't often mix, but Elise becomes friends with Mariko, a Japanese-American teenager who lived in LA before coming to the camp with her parents and siblings. Elise and Mariko make big plans to move to Manhattan together when the war ends, but before that can happen, Elise's family is sent back to Germany. As the war rages on, Elise never stops hoping that she and Mariko will eventually reunite even as the world crumbles around her. Meissner (As Bright as Heaven, 2018, etc.) has created a quietly devastating story that shows how fear and hatred during World War II changed (and even ended) the lives of many innocent Americans. Although Mariko is a central character, Elise's personal growth is what drives the storyshe must learn how to take control of her life even as she's at the mercy of a government that sees her family as enemies. Readers may wish they could see more of Mariko's experiences and hardships, but Elise's story is still compelling and important.An emotional and informative look at a shameful chapter of U.S. history that's often swept under the rug. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.