On Christmas Eve in 1932, the Kluger family gathers in a small Bavarian town, unaware that their lives are about to be upended by the rise of fascism. Sally Carson's novel, Crooked Cross, draws from her personal experiences in Bavaria, capturing the subtle shifts in relationships and society as antisemitism and political upheaval take hold. The story follows Lexa Kluger and her fiancé Moritz Weissmann, whose identity as a German is challenged by the growing hostility toward those with Jewish heritage. Carson's depiction of ordinary life under the shadow of authoritarian rule illustrates how quickly hope can turn to terror, leading to atrocities and the onset of another world war. Rediscovered and republished after decades out of print, Crooked Cross stands as a prescient and haunting account of a community's transformation during a pivotal moment in history.