When the grey bus came to take Rainor Schacht and his friends in the ward for disabled children to a remote hospital called Trutzburg, they had no idea what dark reality awaited them.

No one would tell them what to expect — not Nurse Hilde; not Peter Berger, the kind bus driver; not Dr. Lutz, who ran the Nazi hospital with ruthless efficiency.

Years later, with Berger’s coded diary in hand, Rainor sets out to find Emmi, a fellow survivor of Trutzburg, who looked past Rainor’s disfigurement and elicited the magic that gave purpose to Rainor and solace to Emmi and the other children.

Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, Andrew Boden’s When We Were Ashes takes us to the chilling depths of Aktion T4, one of the darkest chapters in the history of Nazi Germany. In this hauntingly poignant novel, Rainor is led on an illuminating journey to learn the truth about his past and the even more extraordinary truth about his present.

Andrew Boden's articles on mental illness have appeared in Open Minds Quarterly and Other Voices. His stories and essays have appeared in The Journey Prize Stories: 22, Prairie Fire, Descant, Vancouver Review, and the anthology Nobody's Father: Life Without Kids. Andrew is vice-president and director of the Institute for Cross-Cultural Exchange, a Canadian children’s literacy charity, and has helped build homes in Mexico. He enjoys cave exploration, especially on Vancouver Island and in the Chilliwack region. He currently resides in Burnaby, BC.

Andrew Boden's profile page

“When We Were Ashes is an amazing read — a page-turner plot-wise, imbued with language that dances on the page. A sui generis and an unflinching take on the macro and micro evils of Nazi Germany, Andrew Boden’s debut novel throbs with humanity, intelligence, moral complexity, and an understanding of the complications of extreme cruelty and extreme kindness. The child narrator Rainor, his brilliant friend Emmi, and the conflicted bus driver Peter Berger have stayed resident in my mind.”

Zsuzsi Gartner, author of <i>The Beguiling</i>

“A haunting story that interweaves the heartbreaking past with the still hopeful present, When We Were Ashes celebrates courage even in the face of unendurable grief. Andrew Boden succeeds in shining a light into one of the least-remembered of Nazi atrocities.”

Anna Porter, author of <i>Gull Island</i>

“Andrew Boden’s novel is smart and compassionate and gives new blood to the ghosts of the Second World War. I loved the plot and pace, the unfamiliar stories and unsung heroes who richly come to life. Despite dark scenes, and beneath a tone of measured reminiscence, this is a story of overcoming and of finding daylight.”

Colin McAdam, author of <i>Black Dove</i>

“A powerful and moving novel of endurance and humanity under terrible circumstances, one that rewards a reader’s devotion.”

Antanas Sileika, author of <i>Some Unfinished Business</i>

“When We Were Ashes is a powerful novel, flawlessly executed and emotionally resonant. It is haunting, and its words have stayed with me long after I closed the book. Boden’s triumph is to marry the unthinkable cruelty of a world gone mad with a firmly rooted sense of human dignity that uplifts the human spirit.”

<i>The British Columbia Review</i>