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A review by _jaker
The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell
5.0
It took awhile before I was ready to review this book because it’s a masterpiece. The core message of this piece is the destructive nature of the banality of evil.
You are told a first person account that the narrator claims immediately would be the recourse of anyone, even you! The reader knows before starting that this is the story of a nazi, but your judgement is reserved.
Reflection reveals that the actions of the narrator are evil, despite all the rationalizations provided. To paraphrase Laird Barron, evil is a force that doesn’t die it just finds a new host. The narrator is even shot in the head, but doesn’t die. The length of the book demonstrates that evil has no time, it’s eternal.
This is a tough, long read but it’s one of the most masterful books I’ve ever read.
You are told a first person account that the narrator claims immediately would be the recourse of anyone, even you! The reader knows before starting that this is the story of a nazi, but your judgement is reserved.
Reflection reveals that the actions of the narrator are evil, despite all the rationalizations provided. To paraphrase Laird Barron, evil is a force that doesn’t die it just finds a new host. The narrator is even shot in the head, but doesn’t die. The length of the book demonstrates that evil has no time, it’s eternal.
This is a tough, long read but it’s one of the most masterful books I’ve ever read.