Families at War

Families at War is a sweeping tale of love, loyalty, and the brutal legacy of war.

In 1930s Friedrichshafen, a shared passion for art binds English-Jewish Judith, idealistic Matthias, and zealous Hinrich, until Nazi ideology tears them apart. As WWII ignites, Judith returns to England to serve as a wartime nurse.

Matthias, haunted by his love for Judith, fights on the Eastern Front, battling not just enemies but his own conscience. Meanwhile, Hinrich descends into darkness as a sadistic SS officer. Their families, too, are drawn into the maelstrom — some resisting, others complicit. Years later, an art exhibition reunites the trio, each scarred by the past.

Now artists, Judith and Matthias must confront the memories that shaped them, while Hinrich reappears in a guise both familiar and changed. Moving and unflinching, this is a story of shattered innocence, the enduring power of memory, and art’s ability to redeem or destroy.

Author Biography

Joseph Nicholas Kennedy is an expert educational consultant, originally from Tamworth, he now lives in Tuttlingen, South Germany. He has previously published non-fiction work about overcoming learning disabilities measurably, Families at War is Joseph’s first novel.