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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I'm not entirely sure where to begin, but a reoccurring thought I had while reading this book was "Wow, this would make a beautiful film". (I am aware that it was adapted into a film, I've yet to watch it though). Harry Mulisch's ability to write such a moving but grounded book astounds me. It explores morality, grief, resentment, guilt. You leave this book not having a clear perpetrator or victim. We start with one, seemingly straightforward, story: Anton and his family's lives were forever changed after a Nazi Collaborator was shot outside of their home. Anton was the only one who survived the horrors of that night and we follow him through life as different people from his past enter his life once again.
All these little chance meetings that happen add yet another layer to this ever confusing story. Everyone had their own side of the story to tell and you question whether your truth is really the truth at all. I think that's what I love most about Anton. He was so willing to hear everyone's stories even if they didn't align with his own recollection of that night. Every time someone new was introduced and added their piece to this unknown puzzle, it felt like you could sigh. Almost as if we all needed this. We were all searching for just one more thing to clear up what had happened.
I truly loved this book and its message but I think what I loved most was the writing. The writing completely drew me in. It was almost as if I was being swallowed by the words on the page. I was there. I was there with Anton when he revisited his childhood home, I was there in his apartment when he spoke again with Fake Ploeg, I was there at the cafe when he cried over a woman he hardly knew. I was there, and that's what makes this book so good. You just cannot help but feel like you were there.
All these little chance meetings that happen add yet another layer to this ever confusing story. Everyone had their own side of the story to tell and you question whether your truth is really the truth at all. I think that's what I love most about Anton. He was so willing to hear everyone's stories even if they didn't align with his own recollection of that night. Every time someone new was introduced and added their piece to this unknown puzzle, it felt like you could sigh. Almost as if we all needed this. We were all searching for just one more thing to clear up what had happened.
I truly loved this book and its message but I think what I loved most was the writing. The writing completely drew me in. It was almost as if I was being swallowed by the words on the page. I was there. I was there with Anton when he revisited his childhood home, I was there in his apartment when he spoke again with Fake Ploeg, I was there at the cafe when he cried over a woman he hardly knew. I was there, and that's what makes this book so good. You just cannot help but feel like you were there.
This was boring.
The only thing that happens in this book, happens in the beginning. I didn’t like the main character. I didn’t care about him. He had no interesting traits, he had no traits at all.
The theme is interesting, but it was hard for me to understand why Anton did what he did. I would’ve liked this book more if it was written in first person and if the book was shorter.
The only thing that happens in this book, happens in the beginning. I didn’t like the main character. I didn’t care about him. He had no interesting traits, he had no traits at all.
The theme is interesting, but it was hard for me to understand why Anton did what he did. I would’ve liked this book more if it was written in first person and if the book was shorter.
De Aanslag was een verrassend leuk en spannend boek om te lezen. Het verhaal speelt zich voornamelijk af in Nederland aan het einde van de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Dat wil natuurlijk niet zeggen dat de oorlog het centrale thema is. Het hoofdpersonage, Anton Steenwijk, krijgt eerder te maken met een andere kant. Een kant waarbij heldendaden ook onverwachte, negatieve gevolgen kunnen hebben. Hij was nog maar een klein jongetje toen, voor het huis van zijn buren, een collaborerende NSB’er doodgeschoten werd. Zijn buren verlegden het lijk naar zijn huis. Deze mysterieuze daad zorgde onrechtstreeks voor de dood van zijn familie en het verlies van zijn huis. De rest van het verhaal draait vooral rond wat er nu precies gebeurd is op die beruchte avond en hoe de kleine Anton met zijn trauma omgaat. Jarenlang probeerde hij dan ook alle herinneringen eraan te verdringen, maar zonder veel succes. Op de meest onverwachte momenten komt hij terug in aanraking met oude bekenden die hem stuk voor stuk, ongewild, helpen bij het ontrafelen van dit mysterie. De meeste actie zit voornamelijk in de eerste zestig pagina’s van het boek, waardoor de rest misschien wat saaier kan zijn. Geen paniek, want dat wordt volledig gecompenseerd met een leuke, vlotte schrijfstijl en een sterk plot. Dit plot ontstaat doordat je zelf langzaamaan de puzzelstukjes in elkaar kan leggen, maar zelfs dan weet de schrijver je nog te verrassen. Mulisch schrijft in korte, duidelijke zinnen, waardoor het boek vrij vlot leesbaar is en geschikt is voor een groot doelpubliek. Hier en daar zitten er wel wat filosofische kronkels in, maar die geven het net dat tikkeltje extra. Al bij al een echte aanrader.
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
[3/5 stars]
just as a disclaimer, i read this book for english class so i overanalyzed everything, and that kind of takes away from the joy of reading. that said, here are my honest thoughts:
the assault was, overall, a good book. it's divided into "episodes" and each one features a time-skip to the next point in the life of anton, the main character. there are around 14 symbols (yes, i counted because i'm tracking symbols for class and it broke my brain,,) and they link the book together. the assault is basically about anton and how the death of his family haunt (well, not haunt in a creepy way. more like the fact that he's always reminded of their deaths) him for his entire life. mulisch does tend to throw in historical references that dutch people at the time of publication would be familiar with, but an international audience would probably not understand. i, for one, had a horrible headache after finishing the book because i was so done with the roundabout way of speech by the end. even though it's only 185 pages, i think it could have been even shorter if only the filler setting descriptions were taken out.
but still, i still view the book positively and i'd love to read it again (i say that, as if i won't be rereading it over and over in preparation for my end-of-unit essay...) because each page features so many analyzable literary devices.
i think anton's recurring migraines have rubbed off on me... (iykyk ahahah)
just as a disclaimer, i read this book for english class so i overanalyzed everything, and that kind of takes away from the joy of reading. that said, here are my honest thoughts:
the assault was, overall, a good book. it's divided into "episodes" and each one features a time-skip to the next point in the life of anton, the main character. there are around 14 symbols (yes, i counted because i'm tracking symbols for class and it broke my brain,,) and they link the book together. the assault is basically about anton and how the death of his family haunt (well, not haunt in a creepy way. more like the fact that he's always reminded of their deaths) him for his entire life. mulisch does tend to throw in historical references that dutch people at the time of publication would be familiar with, but an international audience would probably not understand. i, for one, had a horrible headache after finishing the book because i was so done with the roundabout way of speech by the end. even though it's only 185 pages, i think it could have been even shorter if only the filler setting descriptions were taken out.
but still, i still view the book positively and i'd love to read it again (i say that, as if i won't be rereading it over and over in preparation for my end-of-unit essay...) because each page features so many analyzable literary devices.
i think anton's recurring migraines have rubbed off on me... (iykyk ahahah)
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Assault is a short novel that details the life-altering event that occurs to protagonist Anton when he's 12 years old, and 4 subsequent occasions during the course of his life that the memory of that event creeps back up to impact his world.
The reader never gets to know Anton in an intimate way (a fact that caused me to briefly consider giving The Assault 3 stars). Rather, Anton serves as a vessel through which author Harry Mulisch delivers lessons about a) the randomness of our life experiences, b) how little we know about the reality of things, even the things that we experience directly, c) how we process trauma and tragedy over time, and d) how quickly time moves forward, leaving the past---even dramas of tremendous national or personal import---in the past. Mulisch possesses the experience and wisdom necessary to fully understand and appreciate these weighty topics, and he communicates his lessons with unsparing simplicity.
Bottom line---The Assault is not gripping, it's not a page-turner. Rather, it is a deliberate and very interesting meditation on human psyche and behavior, one that reaches its climax in the final pages of the book, which are as enlightening as they are devastating. It's an intellectual read, one that I would recommend to people who consider themselves intellectuals.
The reader never gets to know Anton in an intimate way (a fact that caused me to briefly consider giving The Assault 3 stars). Rather, Anton serves as a vessel through which author Harry Mulisch delivers lessons about a) the randomness of our life experiences, b) how little we know about the reality of things, even the things that we experience directly, c) how we process trauma and tragedy over time, and d) how quickly time moves forward, leaving the past---even dramas of tremendous national or personal import---in the past. Mulisch possesses the experience and wisdom necessary to fully understand and appreciate these weighty topics, and he communicates his lessons with unsparing simplicity.
Bottom line---The Assault is not gripping, it's not a page-turner. Rather, it is a deliberate and very interesting meditation on human psyche and behavior, one that reaches its climax in the final pages of the book, which are as enlightening as they are devastating. It's an intellectual read, one that I would recommend to people who consider themselves intellectuals.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Genocide, Rape, Cannibalism
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No