First published 2009
Dr. Maximilien Aue opens his story with a direct address to his readers. Years after the war ended, this former Nazi officer has transformed himself into a French factory owner with a family. He possesses the education of an intellectual, well versed in philosophy, literature, and classical music. Yet beneath this cultivated exterior lies a cold-blooded killer and efficient bureaucrat. Max recounts his experiences during the Second World War and his participation in the Nazi genocide of the Jews. His narrative brings him into contact with the regime's most notorious figures: Eichmann, Himmler, Göring, Speer, Heydrich, Höss, and Hitler himself. Through Max's eyes, readers witness the war's horrors in disturbing detail. The Times of London recognized this work among the "100 Best Books of the Decade." This intense historical epic forces readers to confront the capacity for evil that exists within humanity itself.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: France, Nazi Germany
Period: World War II
984 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder, war