The Chosen Ones

In "The Chosen Ones," Steve Sem-Sandberg delves into the harrowing realities of the Am Spiegelgrund clinic in Vienna, which, under the guise of a reform school and care facility, became a site of inhumanity during the Nazi regime's euthanasia program. Through the perspectives of young inmate Adrian Ziegler and nurse Anna Katschenka, the novel explores themes of survival amid oppression, offering a poignant and meticulously researched portrayal of a dark chapter in Austria's history. Rich in character and incident, this emotionally impactful work sheds light on injustice while balancing a sharp sense of the absurd.