Regina, or the Sins of the Fathers

In the triumphant aftermath of Germany's victorious war, Lieutenant Boleslav von Schranden returns home to find his world hollowed out. His father, once honored, stands revealed as a traitor, and the son must now wear the father's shame like a uniform he never chose. In his hometown, comrades who glorify their wartime sacrifices look through him with contempt, and the very society that celebrates victory has no applause for a man whose name has become synonymous with betrayal. But when Boleslav discovers the hidden truth behind his father's infamy, he faces an agonizing question: can a son separate himself from his father's sins, or does blood truly write the story of a life? Sudermann constructs a fierce, psychologically intricate drama about honor, legacy, and the brutal impossibility of escaping one's lineage. This is a novel for readers who crave moral complexity, who want their protagonists to suffer not from villains but from the weight of history and the cold judgment of communities.