“Life can only be understood backwards. That’s what Kierkegaard said. The trouble is one has to live it forwards.”

On a summer visit to Germany, George, a young medical student at Cambridge, meets Anna von Kleist, whose intellectual force, beauty, and self-assurance smite him full in the heart. It is 1936. Hitler is already in power, and a shift has occurred in Germany that Anna, George, and their friend Werner have not fully grasped. Europe is on the cusp of war when the three find themselves in a painful love triangle that plays between England and Germany.

A love story on a grand scale, Therefore Choose is set in a world where a single choice can affect the direction of a life, a country, or even a continent. Facing decisions that will forever alter the course of their lives, George, Anna, and Werner must choose and live with the irrevocable consequences.

“Of the many novels written about the Second World War, Oatley’s stands out for its sensitivity and insight. Students of both history and psychology will find in Therefore Choose a fresh perspective on a well trod subject.”
– Malahat Review

“This well-written, intelligent, and even wise book deals with choice, specifically with the consequences of the choices that we make in life. It also shows the horror felt by those on both sides of the conflict that was the Second World War. The trauma is all here. So is the guilt, of both the victors and the defeated. Oatley is a good writer, and this is a fine book.”
– Scene

“Unquestionably a literary triumph.”
– Walrus

“A coming-of-age story quietly and compassionately told. Almost between the lines, the force of history bears down on these characters, as they learn what is possible and impossible in a broken world.”
“A thoroughly thought-provoking read. Oatley is deft with dialogue — big ideas are channelled seamlessly through the minds of his characters. George, Werner, and Anna’s every choice — whether to act, react, or withhold action — is imbued with power.”