Exploring the psychological effects of the Holocaust.
I have read a lot of World War II fiction in my time - and I will continue to read a lot more in the future. There are so many fascinating and heart breaking stories yet to be told and there are so many takes to take on this piece of our history. I loved how this book explored both the concept of good vs. evil and the psychological effects of the Holocaust after the war.
"It was our common belief that we had arrived at a place,
which one could only leave through the chimney."
👍 What I Liked 👍
Psychology: It's no surprise that living through a traumatizing event like the Holocaust that you are going to come out on the other side with some psychological scars. However, I have never seen another book go this far into exploring those scars. Here, we see three different survivors, who each have their own way of coping. We also see an SS officer, who has to find a way to live with what he's been a part of. And through it all, we get the psychological evaluations of an actual psychologist. It really got me curious and made me feel like I learned something, which I always enjoy.
Good/evil: When we think about the Holocaust, it's easy for us to say that all the Germans and Nazi supporters were the bad guys. And in the large scheme of things, there's no denying that. But if you go to each individual person, the truth is hardly ever that clear or clean-cut. Yes, there's definitely a degree of evil in any person who can stand idly by and watch the atrocities that unfolded in places such as Auschwitz. But this book shows that there's another side to the coin. In Dahler, we have the perfect example of the grey areas of human evilness. At first there's no doubt in your mind that this guy is evil. But slowly you see another side, you see little acts of kindness, you see him putting himself in danger and sacrificing for another person. And you see a conscience. I really loved this revelation and evolution of Dahler's character.
Timelines: This story takes place both in the Holocaust years and during Dahler's trial in 1947. I found this to be a really creative and great way to get the story across. In the 1947 bits, a lot about the characters were revealed and showing their psychological after-effects of their experiences. It was also a great way to move the plot along in a different pace than the Holocaust parts.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review