Fatherland

As a work of speculative fiction, Fatherland creates an alternative history in which Germany was victorious in World War II. The novel’s alternative reality reimagines Germany’s boundaries: The country and Berlin didn’t split after the war, and Nazi Germany has subsumed other countries, including Poland. While this German state is fabricated, it has roots in real historical events and follows real historical figures.

In Harris’s 1964, Germany continues to fight two wars: one in the east with Russia to defend the land they took during World War II, and another with the US, a cold war in which each side threatens to use nuclear weapons. Hitler succeeded in removing and executing Jewish people throughout German territory, and he then created laws and requirements for marriage and childbirth to ensure the continuation of his “Aryan race.” To strengthen it, Nazi policies persist, and citizenship (and even the right to life) depends on one’s genetic line. The rule of law determines lifestyle, and deviation from Nazi ideals often results in severe punishment. For example, the government has criminalized gay sexual relationships between men and sends those caught to labor camps or the frontlines of the ongoing war with Russia. The people must follow and revere the Führer.