Dear Mutzi (Tess Scholfield-Peters, NLA)

Tess Scholfield-Peters’ debut book, Dear Mutzi, is a narrative nonfiction account of her grandfather’s experience in Nazi Germany. It powerfully describes how 18-year-old Hermann Pollnow fled Nazi Germany for rural Australia and became Harry Peters. Mutzi was the affectionate nickname given to Hermann by his devoted parents, Max and Edith, who perished in Nazi camps. Scholfield-Peters uses a combination of letters written by Hermann’s father during the 1930s, interviews with her grandfather and present-day narrative from her third-generation perspective to tell this striking story. She skillfully portrays Hitler’s ascendency and the destruction of German Jewry, the increasing persecution the family faced, and the extent of Edith’s and Max’s love for Hermann, which is palpable through their letters and gives the book a poignant and emotionally charged tone. The author’s evocation of European landscapes illustrates the beauty of Germany, in contrast to Hermann’s first impression of the Australian landscape: ‘The smell of recent rain on the eucalypts was strange. The dense bushland and the browns and greys were nothing like the forests of Germany.’ Dear Mutzi goes beyond a personal family history with its themes of involuntary migration, adaptation into Australian society, and resilience, and will strike a chord with readers interested in the history of this period or who have enjoyed historical fiction by Heather Morris.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Katy Briggs is a marketer with a degree in English and history. She is an avid reader across myriad genres. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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