A review by pran
Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book surprised me in how much I enjoyed it. I do not read much 'holocaust fiction' but I found the blurb of this book interesting so felt compelled to buy it. I am so glad I did. Chidgey does such a good job of focussing the reader on what she wants to discuss- the nature of ignorance of atrocities- without sidelining other important aspects of the story and its context. I particularly enjoyed the structure of the novel, which I was not expecting. I liked that Dietrich and Lenard speak to somebody (an interviewer and Lotte respectively), but Greta simply has an imagined diary. This to me represents her lack of a voice, but perhaps she finally gains it by the end of the novel. Themes of sickness and the nature of the human body are recurrent and could be explored in great depth. Chidgey also incorporates ideas of pollution, corruption, disease, within the camp, the Nazi party, and the human body. The lasting sentiment from the book for me, was that we can never really understand someone else's experience, so our judgements of them may be misplaced. However, if you choose to look away from the truth, history may not look upon you kindly.