The Unlikely Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Soldier, Spy

The book blends two parallel narratives. Lilly is experiencing difficulty re-entering the work force after taking time out to raise her children. She learns of her father-in-law's (Alfred) astonishing history as a young Jewish boy brought up in Munich during the rise of Hitler. She decides to write her father-in-law's biography, which is both tragic and humorous. Lilly documents the terrifying arrest of Alfred's father during Kristallnacht, the family's escape to the United States, and the often