by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz
Published by Pushkin Press
Translated by Philip Boehm Cover Illustration by Riki Blanco
Berlin Late November, 1938
How quickly can things change - does anything really happen overnight? Can you imagine living in fear just because of your religion or way of life? How or why were people being singled out?
This is the story of Otto Silbermann, a respected businessman whose life changed so suddenly it is hard to imagine. He must have been one of many but we rarely get to read about the extreme upheaval such moments in history really caused.
Standing your ground or trying to defend your business or even friendships would only increase the personal risks & imminent danger.
Knowing he'd done nothing wrong, Silbermann saw escape as the only option & boards a train. This is just the start of his journey but it won't be easy.
Imagine being turned away from a restaurant, hotel or any business purely based on your name or looks. Silbermann could 'hide' somewhat, behind his Aryan looks, unlike so many others. As soon as some people learned his name, it was game over.
Several elements of the novel actually parallel the author's own experiences & you can feel the tension in the writing. It's almost impossible to imagine living in an environment where individuals will effectively mistreat others because of 'rules' rather than their own moral compass.
Even if you (like me) usually keep well away from anything even vaguely mentioning the horrors of Nazi Germany, I'd definitely recommend this one. Easy to read (or listen to) with an enjoyable translation that still echoes its German origin.
Comments