This week the Crime Fiction on a Euro Pass journey hosted by Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise reaches Germany. My wife, youngest son and myself spent a wonderful two weeks in Germany this spring. For my contribution I have chosen a book that explores the morality of decisions made by Germans living in Nazi Germany.****
64. - 245.) The Good German by Joseph Kanon – Reporter, Jake Geismar, arrives in Berlin in the summer of 1945 to search for Lena Brandt, his lover at the start of World War II. He seeks to solve the mystery of the killing of an American officer whose body washes up in front of the Potsdam Conference. He explores the corruption of the winners. The devastation of Berlin has never been better conveyed to me. Improbably but fairly he finds Brandt. He faces the dilemma of Germans. Brandt’s husband, a rocket scientist, calculated the minimum level of calories to feed slave workers at the under mountain rocket factory. An old Jewish friend was a greifer, a scout for the Gestapo, finding Jews hiding in Berlin. A police officer continues to hunt criminals for a criminal regime. Who is a “good German”? Alittle long but an excellent book. Hardcover. (Nov. 4/04)
This was one that I meant to read but never got to Bill. Thanks for the reminder
ReplyDeleteBill - Thanks for letting us know about this book. I always appreciate a book that addresses those larger and more important issues within the context of a story. It's sometimes a challenge, I think, for an author to touch on something so painful and sensitive and still keep his or her focus on the story. I'm going to have to look this one up.
ReplyDeleteKerrie: Thanks for the comment. I look forward to a review sometime in the future.
ReplyDeleteMargot: It is a book which addresses big issues within the mytery. I believe you will enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI too found this book a compelling read and a vivid picture of the complex social and political issues in Germany immediately following WW2. When I lived in Germany in the 1970's, all of that history remained largely papered over, not taught in schools nor spoken of in homes. The Good German was a revelation to many German friends of my generation.
ReplyDeleteJayne: Thanks for the comment. I have visited Germany on three trips. My younger son lived there for a year and my wife has German cousins. I found the 20th Century has almost been wiped out from their history. Only when my son had lived there for almost a year did he have some real discussions about the Nazi regime and WW II. I have found Gitta Sereny's books on Germans, especially Albert Speer to be fascination for their insights into German thinking during and after that era.
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