The Sunflower House

A Novel

By: Adriana Allegri

Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik, Dallin Bradford, Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Family secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory—a real-life Handmaid's Tale—during World War II.

In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss’s life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle’s bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé. But it's 1939, Adolf Hitler is Chancellor, and Allina’s family hides a terrifying secret—her birth mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling.

One fateful night after losing everyone she loves, Allina is forced into service as a nurse at a state-run baby factory called Hochland Home. There, she becomes both witness and participant to the horrors of Heinrich Himmler’s ruthless eugenics program.

The Sunflower House is a meticulously researched debut historical novel from Adriana Allegri that uncovers the notorious Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. Women of “pure” blood stayed in Lebensborn homes for the sole purpose of perpetuating the Aryan population, giving birth to thousands of babies who were adopted out to “good” Nazi families. Allina must keep her Jewish identity a secret in order to survive, but when she discovers the neglect occurring within the home, she’s determined not only to save herself, but also the children in her care.

A tale of one woman’s determination to resist and survive, The Sunflower House is also a love story. When Allina meets Karl, a high-ranking SS officer with secrets of his own, the two must decide how much they are willing to share with each other—and how much they can stand to risk as they join forces to save as many children as they can. The threads of this poignant and heartrending novel weave a tale of loss and love, friendship and betrayal, and the secrets we bury in order to save ourselves.

©2024 Adriana Allegri (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"The Sunflower House is an unforgettable story of love and sacrifice. Written with heartfelt compassion for people facing choices no one should be made to make, this novel draws you in and leaves you a better person for knowing this story. Allegri is an author to watch, and this is an exceptional debut."—Heather Morris, #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz

“Adriana Allegri’s impressive debut is a riveting, heartrending story of love, sacrifice, and redemption set amid the horrors of the notorious Nazi Lebensborn Program. Immersive and full of compelling characters, The Sunflower House is a moving tribute to the power of ordinary people to resist and to overcome.”—Jennifer Chiaverini, New York Times bestselling author of Resistance Women

"A remarkable debut inspired by unimaginable events during WW2. Heart-wrenching and yet full of tenderness and hope, The Sunflower House is emotionally propulsive from first page to last, transporting the reader to the 1930s and into the heart and mind of a young woman whose bravery and selflessness carries the story to its heart-rending conclusion. Meticulously researched and written with a keen sensitivity to the difficult subject matter, I was captivated by the characters and by a piece of history I knew nothing about. Adriana Allegri is an exciting new talent in historical fiction."—Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Lifeboat