Now if you didn't read it yet, you need to be aware the story in itself is about a toxic couple with toxic behavior. If you are trigger by those kind of things this is not a story for you. This is a story that won't tell you what you should think like you won't have an information that would add to something that happen previously and be followed with a flashback for you to fit the puzzle of their issue together you need to keep that in mind to understand, because the issue is not only about the relationship but also on their perception this is why there is a missunderstanding, they will show you their perception and they won't tell you "oh now I understand I shouldn t have think that way when this and that happen"
Personaly I like the story soooo much seriously and I think that a lot of people judge it because it is simply not their type of story, they read the part on Annette point of view at first and blame ML of everything they keep that idea until the very end and what ever happen it is never enough like at this point it is the same as wanting him dead and even that wouldn't be enough...
So now I will start to spoiled the story to tell my understanding of the story and why I think people are "mistaken" with their interpretation.
At first the story will show you Annette pov and how she sees her relationship with Heiner. A husband that fake his love for her and put her into misery. Soon enough you will see a tendancy were "everything is Heiner fault because he want her to be miserable" (not entirely wrong but not everything is Heiner fault) for example when Heiner and Annette went to an event with her favorite pianist, he stop her to drink to much we just see with Annette eyes we could think that this is a controling behavior and not that he is observing her and stop her to drink too much for her well being. A lady ask her to play the piano, she is being on the spot Heiner doesn't know that she have a ptsd, in fact he love when she play so he kind of want her to play like it is an opportunity you will see it by his expression because he will stay quiet. Annette once she is sit in front of the piano think about he is doing it on purpose because he want her to feel miserable once again. She get sick and they return home. Annette at some point gets pregnant she wanted a baby hoping that it could save her mariage (not really a good idea but) she finaly is and doesn t know. She gets stab and lost the baby, once she wake up she learn that she had one and lost it, she start to "twist" her thought again while she is grieving, "this is a good thing that she lost the baby" she process in order to accept her lost. And again blame Heiner in the end. The reason why she get stab was because everyone hate her, it wasn't because of Heiner that she was isolated from everyone and received hate by everyone (more because of her father) of course Heiner didn't do anything about it don't get me wrong he does play a part and he is not "all green flag" from the start but what he actually really do is "ignoring her" and supervising her (we can think he doesn't want her to go at the beach because it could be dangerous for her but since he doesn t tell her this is the same as controling her action) but that's pretty much it. Now when she try to exit keep in mind she lost her baby and another time she had a conversation that affected her (her first reality check) with Katherine. All of this was at play when she tried to exit herself and of course since this happen with Annette pov she directed and validated herself by blaming Heiner.
Now Heiner also have his share, the guy litteraly lie to himself and twist his own mind. And this does add to Annette pov. For example the guy was affected by Annette trying to exit, we could see the terror and it will become a traumatic event for him (later he start to panic when he sees her with a pair of cisors) So why, if he hate her sooo much he was so afraid what does he want form her and all.. This is a monologue that we will see. The guy is not able to say "because I love her" the all reason behind his behavior is "I will make you so miserable that no one will want you not even me" in his monologue he is doing something that we often do ourself, trying to put some logic to align our behavior with our emotion. So at the end of his monologue he kind of lie to himself by founding a reason why "she shouldn t die" not because he doesn t want to (the real reason) but because "it would be to easy for her" (the lie to keep his own narrative of I don't like her). But after Annette trying to exit herself a second time Heiner also get his first "reality check" and will say "the one that should go to an asylum is me not her"
Now a lot of people won't understand what Annette did wrong, "ignorance is not something that you should be blame of" I do agree at some point. But Katherine story show you more than what happen to understand "what is Annette ignorance". She was blinded by her father but didn't want to see anyway and she goes as far as using the same behavior as her father. In Katherine story (with her brother that was executed) we see Annette at an event, a gard speak to her father, she ask him what happen, he tells her "just someone acting up" later we see her at her balcony and she sees Katherine at the gate pleading, her friend (blond guy later in france) will ask what happen and she will reply "nothing just someone acting up". She will also use the same words of her father when she meets Heiner for the first time. This is why they say in the story that "she choose to be ignorant" she was in fact selfish and didn't want to see at all what was happening in others reality. She was superficial collecting shiny things and carefree. She didn't mind using the same words that her father use and she probably would become like her father at some point the "nothing else matter as long as we live well" type of mentality, the "who cares if people had die in a mission for us" type of person.
Heiner had twist his own thought of course, he compare Annette at frist to a piece of art and was expecting her to empathise with him, to bring him some kind of salvation, he was attach to that idea, "I don't mind if I am miserable and suffering because Annette will give me salvation" but she didn't, instead she was a "mini her father" this break him. Of course "nothing is a good reason to get your revenge" but let's be real "we wouldn't have a story otherwise" if there was any "twisted mind" and "twisted feelings" at first. But this is why Heiner after "brainwashing himself" with the thought of Annette being an angel, wanted now to "end" his obsession toward her by hating her instead.
Here I am not saying that "Annette was all wrong and Heiner is a saint" They both have their issue and this is why we get to see a toxic relationship between each other and there is a missunderstanding. Now sometime past they go to the war, conversation are made and at some point they "understand each other perspective" they stop "making it all a themself problem I am your victim you are to blame" Annette like Heiner want to listen to the "otherside" pov. And they agree to put that missunderstanding behind in order to focus on the now. Now it doesn t mean that they are back together yet. They are friends at first and it took a long time if you look at the years they give you before they start a "love relationship" at this point we know as reader that they will end up together a lot of people state that Annette forgave him and take him back too easly. But Heiner comes back from war they aren t with each other, they speak with each other exchange letter then phone calls Heiner visit Annette they still arent together! What they show is the relationship starting over from 0. In those chapter we see that Annette speak about her feelings with Heiner and Heiner listen to her emotional needs, he doesn't control her, he is supporting her choice and so on. AFTER that they end up back together.
Soooo Seriously I don't know what people expect from a redemption arc. I wonder if in fact they doesn t want a redemption at all and stick to that idea of "nothing would be enough anyway" in that case "those type of story" is clearly not for you so why would you read them anyway you wont get any satisfaction out of it.
As for me this story is really good, the psychology in it is a 10/10 the development and the resolution of their issue 10/10, the fact that this story included a real war and show you the "real things" like "not knowing what could happen next" "people dying" not the kind of "magical story" where the ML appear slash with his sword say a "cool reply" and everything is fine and he is also forgiven btw.. this add to the story soo much 10/10 all of it seriously 10/10 from me, and now in my top 3!
In my top 3 this story goes!
Now if you didn't read it yet, you need to be aware the story in itself is about a toxic couple with toxic behavior. If you are trigger by those kind of things this is not a story for you. This is a story that won't tell you what you should think like you won't have an information that would add to something that happen previously and be followed with a flashback for you to fit the puzzle of their issue together you need to keep that in mind to understand, because the issue is not only about the relationship but also on their perception this is why there is a missunderstanding, they will show you their perception and they won't tell you "oh now I understand I shouldn t have think that way when this and that happen"
Personaly I like the story soooo much seriously and I think that a lot of people judge it because it is simply not their type of story, they read the part on Annette point of view at first and blame ML of everything they keep that idea until the very end and what ever happen it is never enough like at this point it is the same as wanting him dead and even that wouldn't be enough...
So now I will start to spoiled the story to tell my understanding of the story and why I think people are "mistaken" with their interpretation.
At first the story will show you Annette pov and how she sees her relationship with Heiner. A husband that fake his love for her and put her into misery. Soon enough you will see a tendancy were "everything is Heiner fault because he want her to be miserable" (not entirely wrong but not everything is Heiner fault) for example when Heiner and Annette went to an event with her favorite pianist, he stop her to drink to much we just see with Annette eyes we could think that this is a controling behavior and not that he is observing her and stop her to drink too much for her well being. A lady ask her to play the piano, she is being on the spot Heiner doesn't know that she have a ptsd, in fact he love when she play so he kind of want her to play like it is an opportunity you will see it by his expression because he will stay quiet. Annette once she is sit in front of the piano think about he is doing it on purpose because he want her to feel miserable once again. She get sick and they return home. Annette at some point gets pregnant she wanted a baby hoping that it could save her mariage (not really a good idea but) she finaly is and doesn t know. She gets stab and lost the baby, once she wake up she learn that she had one and lost it, she start to "twist" her thought again while she is grieving, "this is a good thing that she lost the baby" she process in order to accept her lost. And again blame Heiner in the end. The reason why she get stab was because everyone hate her, it wasn't because of Heiner that she was isolated from everyone and received hate by everyone (more because of her father) of course Heiner didn't do anything about it don't get me wrong he does play a part and he is not "all green flag" from the start but what he actually really do is "ignoring her" and supervising her (we can think he doesn't want her to go at the beach because it could be dangerous for her but since he doesn t tell her this is the same as controling her action) but that's pretty much it. Now when she try to exit keep in mind she lost her baby and another time she had a conversation that affected her (her first reality check) with Katherine. All of this was at play when she tried to exit herself and of course since this happen with Annette pov she directed and validated herself by blaming Heiner.
Now Heiner also have his share, the guy litteraly lie to himself and twist his own mind. And this does add to Annette pov. For example the guy was affected by Annette trying to exit, we could see the terror and it will become a traumatic event for him (later he start to panic when he sees her with a pair of cisors) So why, if he hate her sooo much he was so afraid what does he want form her and all.. This is a monologue that we will see. The guy is not able to say "because I love her" the all reason behind his behavior is "I will make you so miserable that no one will want you not even me" in his monologue he is doing something that we often do ourself, trying to put some logic to align our behavior with our emotion. So at the end of his monologue he kind of lie to himself by founding a reason why "she shouldn t die" not because he doesn t want to (the real reason) but because "it would be to easy for her" (the lie to keep his own narrative of I don't like her). But after Annette trying to exit herself a second time Heiner also get his first "reality check" and will say "the one that should go to an asylum is me not her"
Now a lot of people won't understand what Annette did wrong, "ignorance is not something that you should be blame of" I do agree at some point. But Katherine story show you more than what happen to understand "what is Annette ignorance". She was blinded by her father but didn't want to see anyway and she goes as far as using the same behavior as her father. In Katherine story (with her brother that was executed) we see Annette at an event, a gard speak to her father, she ask him what happen, he tells her "just someone acting up" later we see her at her balcony and she sees Katherine at the gate pleading, her friend (blond guy later in france) will ask what happen and she will reply "nothing just someone acting up". She will also use the same words of her father when she meets Heiner for the first time. This is why they say in the story that "she choose to be ignorant" she was in fact selfish and didn't want to see at all what was happening in others reality. She was superficial collecting shiny things and carefree. She didn't mind using the same words that her father use and she probably would become like her father at some point the "nothing else matter as long as we live well" type of mentality, the "who cares if people had die in a mission for us" type of person.
Heiner had twist his own thought of course, he compare Annette at frist to a piece of art and was expecting her to empathise with him, to bring him some kind of salvation, he was attach to that idea, "I don't mind if I am miserable and suffering because Annette will give me salvation" but she didn't, instead she was a "mini her father" this break him. Of course "nothing is a good reason to get your revenge" but let's be real "we wouldn't have a story otherwise" if there was any "twisted mind" and "twisted feelings" at first. But this is why Heiner after "brainwashing himself" with the thought of Annette being an angel, wanted now to "end" his obsession toward her by hating her instead.
Here I am not saying that "Annette was all wrong and Heiner is a saint" They both have their issue and this is why we get to see a toxic relationship between each other and there is a missunderstanding.
Now sometime past they go to the war, conversation are made and at some point they "understand each other perspective" they stop "making it all a themself problem I am your victim you are to blame" Annette like Heiner want to listen to the "otherside" pov. And they agree to put that missunderstanding behind in order to focus on the now. Now it doesn t mean that they are back together yet. They are friends at first and it took a long time if you look at the years they give you before they start a "love relationship" at this point we know as reader that they will end up together a lot of people state that Annette forgave him and take him back too easly. But Heiner comes back from war they aren t with each other, they speak with each other exchange letter then phone calls Heiner visit Annette they still arent together! What they show is the relationship starting over from 0. In those chapter we see that Annette speak about her feelings with Heiner and Heiner listen to her emotional needs, he doesn't control her, he is supporting her choice and so on. AFTER that they end up back together.
Soooo Seriously I don't know what people expect from a redemption arc. I wonder if in fact they doesn t want a redemption at all and stick to that idea of "nothing would be enough anyway" in that case "those type of story" is clearly not for you so why would you read them anyway you wont get any satisfaction out of it.
As for me this story is really good, the psychology in it is a 10/10 the development and the resolution of their issue 10/10, the fact that this story included a real war and show you the "real things" like "not knowing what could happen next" "people dying" not the kind of "magical story" where the ML appear slash with his sword say a "cool reply" and everything is fine and he is also forgiven btw.. this add to the story soo much 10/10 all of it seriously 10/10 from me, and now in my top 3!