Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel examines the effects of war and terror on the lives of everyday people, and his novel does not shy away from the truth that there are always atrocities on both sides of war. During World War II, the Allied Forces were seen as the “good” side of the war—the people to support; but the Allied Forces committed crimes of war just as their enemies did, and one of the most famous of these was the Dresden bombing from February 13-15, 1945.

Sir Winston Churchill ordered the bombing of several cities during this time, and Dresden was seen as a prime target because of its lack of war preparedness. The city was populated mainly by ordinary citizens, not soldiers. Almost 4,000 tons of bombs were dropped on the city, destroying it almost completely. Most of the victims were women and children, like Thomas’s lost love, Anna. The emotional trauma Thomas experienced that day prevented him from living a full life afterward. He eventually married Anna’s sister, but their marriage was defined by secrets and distance, and when she had a son without his permission, he fled the family.