Scan barcode
gheath's review against another edition
5.0
Decided to get a copy of this book after reading a report about it in the Guardian I think it was — felt sorry that the author had died so young and was curious to check it out. Turns out Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz wrote a cracking novel before his tragic end on a torpedoed passenger ship in 1942. The story basically concerns a Jewish merchant who overnight — after the infamous Kristallnacht — finds himself trying to get out of Germany. Easier said than done, even when he manages to recover some of his business wealth, albeit at a greatly knocked down rate. As he ducks and dives, "Silbermann" meets a variety of people few of whom can help him escape, and some of whom would arrest him if he had looked more obviously Jewish. It's chilling to see how a person is suddenly transformed, in Boschwitz's words, from subject to object. The protagonist is somewhat flawed but also has his good points; he is suitably complex, but all of this means nothing as he has been objectified by the Nazis: he is a Jew, and therefore an assumed public enemy. The Passenger is a brilliant novel, the only one I have read concerning this period in Germany written from the point of view of a German Jew, many of whom would die in concentration camps within a few short years of being rounded up in 1938. The book is unputdownable and includes a lot of engaging dialogue full of irony and at times anger. By the end of the story I felt deeply affected and full of admiration for the author. It's strange how this excellent and important work slipped into obscurity for so many years.
kevinincanada's review against another edition
3.0
Beware the 'hailed' and 'remarkable' - this is just OK. It reads more like a British thriller from the time (think 39 steps, or the earlier riddle of the sands). That said, I'm sure it would have had more of an impact in 1939, but as a reader in 2021 I found it far from 'heart-stopping'. But, it is another window into the time.
jaxxon's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
revelinthepages's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
These types of books always amaze me in many ways. This is a translation of a long considered lost German manuscript written by a man in 1939, from many of his own experiences at the dawn of WWII.
This is the story of a Jewish man Otto, living in Germany, as the crimes and discrimination towards the Jewish people start to mount in both frequency and severity. Upon realizing that he too is at risk of meeting an unfortunate fate, he sets out to escape Germany by train. He appears Arian by appearance, which helps his cause, as he is rarely suspected of his Jewish heritage.
The discrimination against him start to stack up though, initially coming from his former friends and business partners. Their true allegiance starts to show, and Otto is starting to feel the harsh realizations of his potential future. His business partner swindles him with little remorse and puts him in a position he is not familiar with. Otto considers himself a true German, having fought in the war for his county, and he struggles to come to terms with the collapse of his country around him.
The book was heartbreaking though informative. The first person narrative really brought me into the main characters thoughts and it was a very interesting read overall
These types of books always amaze me in many ways. This is a translation of a long considered lost German manuscript written by a man in 1939, from many of his own experiences at the dawn of WWII.
This is the story of a Jewish man Otto, living in Germany, as the crimes and discrimination towards the Jewish people start to mount in both frequency and severity. Upon realizing that he too is at risk of meeting an unfortunate fate, he sets out to escape Germany by train. He appears Arian by appearance, which helps his cause, as he is rarely suspected of his Jewish heritage.
The discrimination against him start to stack up though, initially coming from his former friends and business partners. Their true allegiance starts to show, and Otto is starting to feel the harsh realizations of his potential future. His business partner swindles him with little remorse and puts him in a position he is not familiar with. Otto considers himself a true German, having fought in the war for his county, and he struggles to come to terms with the collapse of his country around him.
The book was heartbreaking though informative. The first person narrative really brought me into the main characters thoughts and it was a very interesting read overall
meg37's review against another edition
1.0
I was so excited to win this book in a Goodreads giveaway. The story sounded like it would be very interesting. I might be against popular belief here, but I found it a very blah. I read 92 pages and haven't been super impressed or intrigued, so I'm putting the book down for good and moving on. I'm not going to finish it.
jessfalzon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
marko68's review against another edition
5.0
“I can sense how closely death is nipping at my heels. It’s just a matter of being faster”. P146
The Passenger is a relentless, urgent, foreboding read, written in the wake of the November 1938, Kristallnacht and November Pogroms when violent acts, signalling the Nazi intent, were committed against Jews. Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz penned this tale in a feverish four weeks following these events, three years after he had escaped Germany in 1935. Boschwitz made his way to England, only to be interned as an “enemy alien” on the Isle of Man with thousands of Jewish refugees, once the war broke out. Intriguingly, an early version of this book was published in England and France at the time, essentially going unnoticed, until a manuscript was uncovered in Frankfurt, in the German Exile Archive of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. While the manuscript had been housed in Frankfurt from 1960, its significance and subsequent edited version was not realised until 2015.
Otto Silbermann is the passenger, a Jewish German man who finds himself suddenly ‘on the run’, trying to make sense of what he has become in his own country. The story is written in the first person and Boschwitz has given voice to the incredulous occurrences of the time through the thoughts and actions of Silbermann. Set over a few days in November 1938, Silbermann spends the majority of his time on the trains, criss-crossing Germany in an effort to work out what to do and to comprehend what he has become.
“The fact is that I have already emigrated … to the Deutsche Reichsbahn. i am no longer in Germany. I am in trains that run through Germany. That’s a big difference.” P148
Silbermann’s thoughts read like their own narrative and much of what he is thinking concerns the fact that he has become an enemy for no reason, that those who were his friends, colleagues are no more, or are looking at him differently. Racial identity becomes paramount and Silbermann is only able to travel on the trains because he looks Aryan as opposed to Jewish.
“Whatever I’ve done in the past, he thought, looks different today than it did back then, because now my humanity is called into question, because I am a Jew”. P203
There is something ultimately hopeless in this sobering read, especially as in 2024, I know the ending, I know what happened, and to read this as the darkness was descending on Europe, not even 100 years ago, makes for an incredulous and frankly, quite unbelievable and critically important read.
However, this is not just a story about Otto Silbermann and the incredible plight of the Jews. It is about the German people, those who were indifferent, those who were complicit, those who were opportunistic, those who were sympathetic. This is a tale of humanity at its rawest and worst.
Incidentally, Boschwitz, was exiled to Australia to a prison camp, only to be a passenger on the MV Abosso when it was torpedoed by a German submarine as it was making its way back to England in 1942.
This book needs to be read widely. 5 stars.
The Passenger is a relentless, urgent, foreboding read, written in the wake of the November 1938, Kristallnacht and November Pogroms when violent acts, signalling the Nazi intent, were committed against Jews. Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz penned this tale in a feverish four weeks following these events, three years after he had escaped Germany in 1935. Boschwitz made his way to England, only to be interned as an “enemy alien” on the Isle of Man with thousands of Jewish refugees, once the war broke out. Intriguingly, an early version of this book was published in England and France at the time, essentially going unnoticed, until a manuscript was uncovered in Frankfurt, in the German Exile Archive of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. While the manuscript had been housed in Frankfurt from 1960, its significance and subsequent edited version was not realised until 2015.
Otto Silbermann is the passenger, a Jewish German man who finds himself suddenly ‘on the run’, trying to make sense of what he has become in his own country. The story is written in the first person and Boschwitz has given voice to the incredulous occurrences of the time through the thoughts and actions of Silbermann. Set over a few days in November 1938, Silbermann spends the majority of his time on the trains, criss-crossing Germany in an effort to work out what to do and to comprehend what he has become.
“The fact is that I have already emigrated … to the Deutsche Reichsbahn. i am no longer in Germany. I am in trains that run through Germany. That’s a big difference.” P148
Silbermann’s thoughts read like their own narrative and much of what he is thinking concerns the fact that he has become an enemy for no reason, that those who were his friends, colleagues are no more, or are looking at him differently. Racial identity becomes paramount and Silbermann is only able to travel on the trains because he looks Aryan as opposed to Jewish.
“Whatever I’ve done in the past, he thought, looks different today than it did back then, because now my humanity is called into question, because I am a Jew”. P203
There is something ultimately hopeless in this sobering read, especially as in 2024, I know the ending, I know what happened, and to read this as the darkness was descending on Europe, not even 100 years ago, makes for an incredulous and frankly, quite unbelievable and critically important read.
However, this is not just a story about Otto Silbermann and the incredible plight of the Jews. It is about the German people, those who were indifferent, those who were complicit, those who were opportunistic, those who were sympathetic. This is a tale of humanity at its rawest and worst.
Incidentally, Boschwitz, was exiled to Australia to a prison camp, only to be a passenger on the MV Abosso when it was torpedoed by a German submarine as it was making its way back to England in 1942.
This book needs to be read widely. 5 stars.
lukeacardy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kurdt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
giljule's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75