Those Who Save Us is a novel that offers a different perspective of the war. It’s not a novel about the battlefield and the soldiers who fought and perished there, or the people who got sent to concentration camps to die. This novel focuses on the Germans who helped the Jews—or didn’t—and the price they had to pay for their actions. It’s not a novel of moral absolutes; it’s one filled with grays.
The story is told in two timelines by two women: Anna in the early 40s, a baker’s apprentice who has a relationship with a Jewish doctor that leaves her pregnant in the midst of an antisemitic world; and her daughter Trudy, a history professor in the 90s who grows up in Minnesota trying to understand who she is and how to muffle the shame of what her German ancestors did.
As Trudy embarks on a series of interviews to understand the German perspective during the war–a cleansing of sorts–her mother Anna locks herself in silence and baking. While Anna tries to leave the past behind, Trudy is determined to uncover it and understand it, creating increasing friction with her mother. But Anna’s past unfolds in front of our eyes with painful detail. In her youth, we see her as a woman whose initial naïveté and playfulness transforms into courage and bitterness. She often has to do things she doesn’t want to do, things that will haunt her for the rest of her life, but we also see her generous spirit and her tenacity as she puts herself in danger to help others. This mixture of guilt, impotence and the drive to survive makes her a fascinating character.
Blum does a good job at introducing the romance between Anna and the Jewish doctor, but I can’t say she’s equally convincing in a romance that flourishes later on. The novel seems to sag a little at times (particularly during the years where Anna has a relationship with an SS officer) and has a few scenes of what some may consider gratuitous sex. But overall, the story flows well, and Trudy’s interviews are dynamic and interesting.
With a literary style that is sometimes frustrating (Blum chooses to do without quotation marks during her dialogues) but most often satisfying for the richness in language and the vivid descriptions and imagery, Blum shows us a different, a very human face of the war. Sure, there is a fair share of one-dimensional villains and victims thrown in the mix, but there are many characters in-between. And those are the ones who kept me reading.
I recommend this novel to those who have sometimes been disappointed with books about the Holocaust because of how predictable and/or repetitive they seem, and want to explore a different perspective. But this novel is not for everyone. There are a few violent scenes toward women and children. The subject is one that elicits a lot of emotion, pain and anger, and as such, it can feel daunting and depressing to some readers. It is in no way a light read. However, sometimes these sad stories are the ones that touch audiences the most. The resolution—and the story as a whole—definitely does that.
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A touching, thoughtful review, L. Thanks for posting it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. :)
DeleteThis was one of those books that came out while I was working at Borders (when it still existed) that was a consistent seller and I never found out why. So good to finally do so. But it sounds a lot like Schindler's List, only without Oskar Schindler.
ReplyDeleteBorders... Buahhh!
DeleteIt's similar to Schindler's List in some ways (the author actually worked for Steven Spielberg's foundation for a few years) but this story is more personal and more "Women's Fiction-esque" than Schindler. You know, when I first saw the cover I immediately thought of the little girl in the red robe in Spielberg's movie. :(
Great review. I, too, burned out on Holocaust books a while back. The final straw for me was "The Book Thief," which was also about ordinary Germans in WWII, but was just wrist-slittingly depressing. When I am ready to try another such book, this one looks like a good candidate!
ReplyDeleteI've been so curious about The Book Thief, but I thought it was a children's book, not a Holocaust novel. Then again, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas AND Life is Beautiful are also about children during the war. :'(
DeleteSuch a difficult subject to write about well. (I really don't understand an author who does not use quitation marks. What could the thinking be?)
ReplyDeleteI don't get it either (the quotations marks bit). I thought it was an attempt to be 'more literary' but it bothered me the entire time (and brought more attention to it than anything).
DeleteOkay, I've got two recommendations for you:
ReplyDelete1. Berlin by Jason Lutes. It's actually an ongoing comic book series. Two compilations have been published so far. The time period is earlier - late '20s/early '30s - but has much of the same gray area morality you mention here. Not as dramatic as Blum's book sounds but deeply personal.
2. Decalogue VIII, directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski. The Decalogue was a series of films produced for Polish television by the famous director, each relating to one of the Ten Commandments. #8 is easily the most memorable for me - a Holocaust survivor, later in life, confronts the woman who turned her out on the street. Very powerful stuff!
"a Holocaust survivor, later in life, confronts the woman who turned her out on the street."
DeleteWow, this sounds super interesting!
I'll look into the Berlin series. I'm very interested in comic books that aren't really comic :). Thanks for the recommendations!
I will definitely recommend this to my mom. She reads a lot of books about the Holocaust.
ReplyDeleteIf she likes that subject, then she should definitely read this one. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThe lack of quotation marks really gets to me! I tried to read Cormac McCarthy once and just got so irritated and didn't finish.
ReplyDeleteI actually enjoy stories about WWII (except for "Sarah's Key" which was just not a good book) and would really consider reading this one. I like the ones that pick the extraordinarily out-of-sync German MCs and show that yes, there were Germans who absolutely abhorred what was going on. I liked "Valkyrie" and "Sophie Scholl - The Final Days". I'll put this one on my reading list!
I've been wanting to watch Valkyrie for years!
DeleteI didn't want to be rude, but I was actually thinking about Sarah's Key when I mentioned disappointing Holocaust novels. Incidentally, I found out about Blum's novel while reading a review for Sarah's Key (the reviewer recommended it.)
Thanks for this, Lorena. I've read a lot of modern, well-written post-WW2 novels in the past year or so. Even Jodi Picoult explores the Holocaust in her The Storyteller, a recent release. There wasn't anything new to learn though. I am currently reading City of Women by David Gillham, set in Berlin during the British bombings - just touches on the 'Jewish question', but it is interesting to read a novel on the subject from the women's POV.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea "The Storyteller" was about the Holocaust. I'd be curious to see how Picoult does with a historical novel.
Delete"but it is interesting to read a novel on the subject from the women's POV."
Yes, that's what I liked most about it. I remember when I read Anna Frank's diary how important the lady who helped them was and how dangerous it was for her to do so. I always thought it would be interesting to read about her side of the story (I wonder if anyone has written about her life.)
Was it William Faulkner who got away without using quotation marks? I dislike it when an author does this, and it may be reason enough for me to avoid a book. But that probably isn't fair. This book sounds quite intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI've never read anyone else who's done that except for books in Spanish where they don't use quotation marks but em-dashes (but at least it's something!) I admit it was frustrating and I never got completely used to it, but the story was compelling enough for me to finish.
DeleteI do admit that this does sound quite intriguing.
ReplyDeleteHey, let me know what you think if you end up reading it!
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