A review by elpanek
The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer

3.0

A family saga with great use of language and a provocative premise, but b/c it stopped right before Hitler became "interesting," I found it inadequate. There's an odd conceit that keeps things lively - the mid-level demon who relates the story spends a lot of time explaining the intricate set of rules that govern the interventions of devils and angels in our lives. Sure, its a digression from the primary story, but it kept it from being boring. The implied cause of Hitler's psychopathology is too Freudian for me, but Mailer spends more time on his parents, who are terrifically flawed but barely sympathetic. The book isn't especially depressing, and it might be just the thing to satisfy a morbid curiosity.