In deBruney’s novel, a young woman seeks independence in the rapidly changing world of early-20th-century Austria.

In 1914, Ilse Eder is 17 years old and the youngest daughter of intellectual Dr. Ansel Eder. She quietly sits in the corner of her father’s meetings with some of the greatest thinkers in Vienna, exercising her own curiosity and forming her own opinions. Her father decides against formally debuting her into society, as he’s nervous about the city’s political atmosphere; instead, he sends her to live with her elder sister, Therese, and her in-laws, the Kassners, at their home outside Linz. Ilse finds the Kassners to be hostile but their close family friend, Junius von Hess, to be handsome and beguiling. Soon, she falls in love with him, even as tensions are increasing across Europe. In a novel divided into four parts, spanning more than two decades, DeBruney’s lyrical and briskly paced writing drawing readers into Ilse’s world. At first, experiencing a romance with Junius seems to be Ilse’s main purpose in life. DeBruney’s prose description of the young people’s feelings is particularly enchanting: “Rare is the mind that can resist the chemical pull of pleasures so foreign, sensations so new.” Yet, as the novel progresses, the author steps away from pure romance, extending Ilse’s journey into one of the mind and having her seek comfort in her own personhood. Both aspects of the story make it compelling, and strong research and attention to detail enhance it further; several footnotes expand on specifics, such as German language usage, literary references, and historical events. Although the time-jumps between the four parts (set in 1914, 1922, 1934, and 1936) can be jarring, the story remains satisfying as it plays with readers’ knowledge of the First and Second World Wars.

A pleasing historical coming-of-age tale set in a Europe in flux.