Where does one seek refuge when all the world's gone mad?
The last winter of the war comes as young Jakob Fritsch's German village in Ukraine is torched by Russian troops. Separated from his mother and younger brother, he's shoved onto a train's stock car. Rumors float among them; they're being taken to a work camp over the Urals, where they will be worked to death.
As morning dawns, a lone Stuka dives from the sky, dropping its bomb on the locomotive, and the stock cars are blown from the tracks, tipped, and smashed. Through splintered boards, Jakob and others scramble out, running for the surrounding woods as the Russian guards begin shooting them down.
Jakob escapes into the endless pines, running until he's exhausted. Some time later, he chances upon other survivors from the train: his sick and aging schoolmaster who's a Nazi supporter at heart and the disagreeable postmaster, a man Jakob can't stand and doesn't trust. Always on the lookout for deserters, partisans, and Russian soldiers, the three make their way across war-torn Ukraine, begging for food and shelter where they can.
A tragic turn of events forces Jakob to journey on alone. Ever watchful, he must chance crossing the desolate countryside of Poland en route to Berlin, the only place he can go - the land of his forefathers, the heart of Germany, which is being bombed to its knees and torn apart from all sides. In the final days of WWII, German teen Jakob escapes Russian captivity, surviving harrowing challenges before meeting Frida, a resilient girl in war-torn Germany. Together, they find hope amidst unimaginable hardship.
Dietrich Kalteis is the winner of the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Best Crime Novel for Under an Outlaw Moon. Acclaimed by critics and readers in Canada and abroad, he is the prolific author of 13 novels, two of which won Independent Publisher Awards. Kalteis enjoys life with his family on Canada's beautiful West Coast, in West Vancouver, British Columbia.
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• WWII FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE: Unlike most WWII historical fiction, Rust and Bone is told from the perspective of two young Germans exploring how their lives are impacted by the war. Deviating from the noir tone of Kalteis's previous works, this book is part coming-of-age story and part family drama set against the harsh backdrop of World War II Ukraine and Germany. Not shying away from hard truths, Kalteis unpacks anti-German sentiments, racism, collateral damage, and what it means to be an innocent bystander during times of political turmoil.
• PRAISE FOR KALTEIS: Kalteis's 2023 book, The Get, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly: "Fans of Elmore Leonard and George Pelecanos will find much to enjoy." He won the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Award for Excellence for Best Crime Novel.
• INTERNATIONAL APPEAL: Kalteis was born in Köln, Germany, and speaks fluent German. His 2015 novel, The Deadbeat Club, was published in German by Suhrkamp Verlag under the title Shootout and was an instant bestseller.
