Heather’s Bookshelf: Beelitz-Heilstatten: Where Ghosts Never Die
Author: Marina Osipova
Released: 05/01/25
Genre: Dark Historical Fiction
“An invisible hand presses on my chest. From inside? From outside? Stop it. Please, stop it. I’m begging silently and feel how horror drags me into the dark, bottomless abyss again.”
“Beelitz-Heilstatten: Where Ghosts Never Die” introduces Marion, a Russian-American writer and newlywed, in 2018 who has convinced her doting husband of her need to visit her birthplace- the German military hospital: Beelitz- Heilstratten.
A short time after arriving, Marion finds herself a time traveler and in 1916. A 17-year-old nursing assistant at a German military hospital, Marion can’t seem to remember anything before she woke up in 1916. Thrown into her work, she befriends the head nurse, connects with soldiers (and a young child, Max) with various horrifying injuries, and becomes smitten with a young doctor, Dietrich Hellmann. There’s only one particular patient she loathes…
As her romance with Dietrich heats up, Marion finds herself back in 2018. Everything from 1916 seems like a dream until she happens upon Soviet secret police interrogation reports from WWII.
Will Marion put together the mysteries of Beelitz-Heilstatten and how does it all relate to her new life?
Trigger Warning: WWI and WWII related violence, murder, and overall evil, racism, child death, war-time related violence and injury, sexual situations, adult language
Overall, I enjoyed this tale. The story is told through Marion’s POV. Initially she is presented as a smitten newlywed who’s in love with her doting husband, Hans. She’s also convinced of romanticized (if not a bit delusional) ideas about visiting her birthplace. Part I is dedicated to establishing a bit of current history and personality for Marion and her new husband, Hans. It was a bit on the slow side, though it did establish an overwhelming feeling of dread of what was to come. It felt more like a horror setup that never came to fruition. The second portion is all set in 1918 and contains Marion’s 17-year-old self thrust into a world of terrible war injuries and illnesses without modern medicine. I personally have a medical background, so the historical medical portion was intriguing to me, but I can see how it could be very disturbing to others- especially the portion in the lab. A majority of patients in the ward are adult (though some very young) men, but there’s one child, Max, who steals the pages. Also within this section is Marion’s reluctant, though magnetic, tryst with Dr. Hellmann. Drawn to him in a highly stressful environment, Marion sees Dr. Hellman as a caring and doting caregiver with the most compelling eyes. The third section finds Marion back in 2018 with her husband and dealing with the repercussions of the past as if she’d lived it in a dream- or did she? This story is very well imagined and structured story with mystery and surprise reveals. I appreciated how the author eluded to the surprise answers but didn’t give them away and tied everything up through the character discoveries but didn’t overdo the explanation. Basically, they didn’t dumb it down and loved that! I also loved that I was truly surprised by not one, but two reveals. I also enjoyed the three section structure and the interrogation report sections (though horrifying). Unfortunately, I just didn’t connect with Marion. I’m not sure if it was the amount on introspection, the style of character prose, or my absolute dislike of the uber-clingy Hans, but something was a bit lost there.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A dark historical fiction centered around a terrible piece of history. Compelling, with a couple of surprises and horrible truth reveals. Well-imagined but lacking connection to the protagonist.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Marina Osipova
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