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The book that inspired the film Jojo Rabbit , by director Taika Waititi, winner of the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay; for fans of the bestsellers The Book Thief and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
“One of those books that is impossible to forget.” - Le Monde
Like many Austrian boys at the time of Austria's annexation to the German Reich in the late 1930s, Johannes Betzler innocently embraces the Nazi dream. A member of the Hitler Youth, he discovers that his parents are hiding a young Jewish girl, Elsa Kor, behind a false wall in their Vienna home. His initial horror turns to interest, then love and obsession. After his parents' disappearance, Johannes discovers that he is the only person aware of Elsa's existence and solely responsible for her survival. Manipulating and being manipulated, Johannes fears the end of the war: with it will come the prospect of losing Elsa and a relationship that oscillates between passion and obsession, dependence and indifference, love and hate.
An international bestseller sold in over twenty countries, The Sky That Overwhelms Us is a moving and masterful work that examines truths and lies on both a political and personal level, revealing the darkest aspects of the human soul. It served as inspiration for the film Jojo Rabbit , directed by Taika Waititi ( Thor: Ragnarok ). Starring Sam Rockwell and Scarlet Johansson, the film won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, in addition to other awards, such as the Critics' Choice Award, the Writers Guild of America Award, and the BAFTA Award for Film.
“A powerful and captivating novel, The Sky That Overwhelms Us is an existential battle between moral and ethical extremes.” - Georgia Hunter, bestselling author of We Are the Lucky Ones
"A painful journey, sometimes funny or moving, sometimes horrifying. The Sky That Overwhelms Us puts the reader in the mind of Johannes as he grows up, demonstrating that sometimes the things—and the people—we love most are the ones that overwhelm us the most." - BookTrib
“Christine Leunens is a remarkable author, her prose fluid and eerily engaging. Her depiction of wartime Vienna is almost cinematic and utterly convincing.” - Kirkus Reviews
" The Tattooist of Auschwitz , The Book Thief, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas are brilliant books that give us a glimpse into what it was like to be Jewish during World War II. The Sky That Overwhelms Us is no exception—and it might just be the most brilliant of them all..." - My Weekly
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