Introduction

"A powerful and moving novel, this is very hard to lay aside. The story and its characters remain in the mind and imagination for a long time."--Historical Novel Society

After failing at a prestigious music Académie, nineteen-year-old Marie-Thérèse is finally meeting with success at a Brussels nursing school. But in August 1914, just as her third and final year begins, German armies invade Belgium, swiftly overcome the Allies, and press on toward France, leaving behind an occupying force. This upends everything in Brussels and in Marie-Thérèse’s world. There are reports of ongoing brutalities which fuel burgeoning resentment on the part of the citizenry. Although the occupiers must be treated with respect, nothing prevents citizens from venting their anger on fellow citizens of German descent, including Marie-Thérèse’s family. At the clinic and nursing school, a newly installed director orders students and staff to spy on one another. In this perilous environment, the matron of the school—a character based on the historical Edith Cavell—makes a fateful decision. Soon, so does Marie-Thérèse. Both have far-reaching consequences. In the Fall They Leave is a wartime story of moral courage, resilience, and endurance.

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Excerpt

Ultimatum

Brussels, Belgium



Newsboys charge the platform, their cries a racket of startled birds. Allemand Ultimatum . . . Alle-mand Ulti-matum . . . Alle-mand . . . Alle-mand Ulti ma tum— Papers flap above their heads, explosions of white wings. Disembarking passengers press forward. Clots form. Movement stalls. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the author:

1 After failing at the music Académie, Marie-Thérèse decides to become a student of nursing. Why do you think she does so?

2 What effect does this decision have on Marie-Thérèse’s mother, Madame Hulbert? Do you think that Madame Hulbert’s arguments and feelings have validity? Why or why not.

3 Soon after the German occupation of Brussels, the new director of the clinic and nursing school asks the staff and students to spy on the matron and clinic and report anything that appears suspicious. Why does Marie-Thérèse give her word to do so? What compels her to go back on her word? Do you agree with her—or not?

4 The matron tells Marie-Thérèse that she will have to practice deception on a daily basis. Looking back at yourself at nineteen, how do you think you would respond to such words—and circumstances?

5 What leads Marie-Thérèse to resume her piano studies at the end of the novel? What has contributed to her growth as a pianist? Do you think she should give up nursing and continue exclusively with the piano?

Weblinks

»	Author's website
»	Publisher's website
»	Review from Historical Novel Society

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