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melbsreads 's review for:
Prisoner of Night and Fog
by Anne Blankman
So here's the thing: I really liked this book. But it also totally squicked me out. But it was totally compelling. But it was also icksville and I kind of wanted to barf. Basically, I finished this on the bus this morning, and I kind of loved it but I also felt really...off...all day as a result of things that happened in the story.
I think part of the reason why it squicked me out so much is that it humanises Adolf Hitler. Not in a way that excuses anything he did, mind you. His actions are never excused, never justified. But we see him as the young, charismatic leader, as the doting uncle, as the man of the people. Seeing the way that people react to him, the devotion they have to him, is horrifying. You just want to shake some sense into Gretchen, to make her see through the bullshit and understand the horrifying lies she's been fed over the years.
That said, I liked Gretchen. Even when I wanted to shake her. She's believed what she's been told by people she trusts, she's never had any reason to question it until she takes things into her own hands. I *was* a little unsure about why Daniel would agree to spend so much time helping Gretchen look into her father's death. Sure, there was potential pay off that might discredit Hitler. But it was a long shot.
Some parts of the story felt a little info-dumpy, and kind of like they were recreating the Wikipedia introductions on places in Munich or people in the Nazi party. But on the whole, I'm really glad I read it. Even though it squicked me out.
I think part of the reason why it squicked me out so much is that it humanises Adolf Hitler. Not in a way that excuses anything he did, mind you. His actions are never excused, never justified. But we see him as the young, charismatic leader, as the doting uncle, as the man of the people. Seeing the way that people react to him, the devotion they have to him, is horrifying. You just want to shake some sense into Gretchen, to make her see through the bullshit and understand the horrifying lies she's been fed over the years.
That said, I liked Gretchen. Even when I wanted to shake her. She's believed what she's been told by people she trusts, she's never had any reason to question it until she takes things into her own hands. I *was* a little unsure about why Daniel would agree to spend so much time helping Gretchen look into her father's death. Sure, there was potential pay off that might discredit Hitler. But it was a long shot.
Some parts of the story felt a little info-dumpy, and kind of like they were recreating the Wikipedia introductions on places in Munich or people in the Nazi party. But on the whole, I'm really glad I read it. Even though it squicked me out.