Softly Fall the Stars at Night

(not yet published)

In resisting the horrors of the eugenicists and Nazis, a flawed, yet ultimately noble, protagonist uses the only weapon left to him – his humanity.

Set in Southern Germany between the wars, Softly Fall the Stars at Night opens with 15-year-old Kheiron lying about his age to sign up with the Freikorps. Acting as a medical orderly, he is badly wounded at the Battle of Annaberg in 1921 and returns home disaffected. 

The historical backdrop of the growing influence of the Nazis is revealed through passionate discussions with his friends – a group of artists and intellectuals. Kheiron’s work at a local psychiatric hospital also involves him in the philosophical conflict between eugenicists and the liberals who are trying to resist them.

The Nazis bring Kheiron to Berlin to recruit him for their euthanasia programme, developing a prototype gas chamber at the psychiatric hospital where he works. He is initially tempted by the power on offer, but soon repulsed by the regime's inhumanity. When one of his friends is admitted to hospital after a violent manic episode, Kheiron has to decide between helping him escape or appeasing the Nazis.

Softly Fall the Stars at Night features a flawed and detached protagonist trying to come to terms with not only the momentous events of the time, but also their effect on the lives of those he cares about, including the vulnerable patients he looks after in the hospital. 

Representation

I am currently looking for representation for Softly Fall the Stars at Night. Please contact me for more information and a detailed synopsis.

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