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“We never knew.”
Untertauchen follows a Jewish couple living in Berlin under the rule of Hitler, who, when summoned for “resettlement,” went underground for thirteen months, living in fear of capture. Why was it important for you to share this story, which is based on a real couple and real events?
Having edited and helped the couple publish their memoir, it was obvious their story held a side of the Holocaust barely known. UNTERTAUCHEN does not dwell on the death camps (few in Germany knew precisely what was happening) but all knew, those sent east were never heard from again. The book brings to life what one couple endured under Nazi rule between 1932 and 1942, then the rigors of living underground, hiding in plain sight for 13 months while the Allies bombed Berlin round the clock. As one Jewish reader told me, “We never knew.” The story is written as fiction for intrigue and suspense, earning five-star ratings and lauded by reviewers. The original manuscript was over 30 years in the making and somewhat academic. Before publication though, it was rewritten and edited numerous times to make it “reader friendly.” Readers are now praising it wholeheartedly.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
Goals? As Herr Shacker — the real person behind the character Hans Bracher — told me more than once, he wanted the world to know his story. Now, this has become reality. Secondly, to show through thoughtful writing that good literature can be inviting without vulgarity and obscene language. The reviewers definitely agree. And maybe too, to leave a legacy that has the possibility of changing lives, one reader at a time. As one lady put it: “Your life will never be the same, once you’ve read UNTERTAUCHEN.”
What was one of the hardest parts in Untertauchen for you to write?
Not necessarily difficult, rather prolonged — doing the massive research into Nazi laws, promulgations, etc., that affected Jews under their domination, then bringing this into perspective in Hans and Anna’s daily lives, making sure the time frames were in sync. In other words, writing historical facts into understandable reality without being boring.
What is the next novel that you are working on, and when will that be available?
My preference for Historical Fiction is definitely the biographical. Up next focused on Robert Smalls, the slave who was the pilot of a Confederate gun ship, out of Charleston (S.C.). He and several other slaves who were deck hands (accompanied by their families) commandeered The Planter, sailing it past Fort Sumter (where the opening volley of the Civil War took place) and turning it over to the Union forces which were blockading the Charleston harbor. My research began a year before I learned of a bill in the S.C. General Assembly that would have a statue of Smalls placed on the State House grounds. This legislation was signed by Gov. Henry McMaster (R-South Carolina) several months ago, during which he hoped the image would be ready by 2028. I’m looking toward a similar time frame for the book –yet to be titled — to be published.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Untertauchen is an historical novel, based on the true story of a German Jewish couple who outlived Hitler’s Thousand-Year Reich. When their summons for “resettlement” arrived in November 1942, they went underground, living a heartbeat away from capture for thirteen months.
The reader will be drawn into the maelstrom of their tortuous existence, from the time of their engagement as the Nazis came to power, until their escape from war-torn Berlin with falsified papers on Christmas Day, 1943.
Principle dates and events—the historical and those in their personal lives—are as they were.
UNTERTAUCHEN
Untertauchen tells the harrowing and intimate story of Hans and Anna Bracher, a Jewish couple caught in the rise of Nazi Germany. Based on true events, the novel begins in the calm years before the storm, then steadily descends into the chaos and cruelty of the Third Reich. It follows their love, their faith, and their desperate need to survive in a country that has turned against them. What struck me most was how personal the story felt. It isn’t just about history. It’s about ordinary people clinging to hope while everything familiar burns away.
Arthur M. James writes with a steady hand, not sensational but deeply felt. The dialogue feels natural, like you’re overhearing real people, not reading characters on a page. His pacing is patient. He lets dread build quietly, almost tenderly, until it suffocates. The writing has a kind of restraint that makes the moments of violence hit even harder. I admired how he never forgot the human faces behind the history. These weren’t statistics. They were parents, lovers, neighbors. I found myself angry at times, then suddenly heartbroken. It’s that emotional swing that makes the book hard to put down.
The cruelty is not graphic for shock’s sake, but it’s honest. And it’s relentless. That’s what makes it powerful. The book reminds you how fear seeps into everyday life, how people adapt just to stay invisible. I loved that James didn’t make the story tidy. There’s no neat justice here. Just survival, loss, and the small flickers of kindness that somehow outlast hate. His prose feels both old-fashioned and immediate, like a letter from another century that still matters now.
When I closed the book, I sat for a while. It left me quiet, reflective, and oddly grateful. Untertauchen is a story for readers who want more than history, they want to feel what it meant to live it. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction with soul, to those who study the Holocaust, and to anyone who believes courage isn’t loud but steady.
Pages: 695 | ASIN : B0CWT2MR8M
LITERARY TITAN 