Look Who's Back

And yet again, I find myself in a strange position. I have no idea how to review this book. It's a difficult one, but for different reasons.

This book's premise is simple. Hitler wakes up in 2011 Berlin. And by the looks of things, it's going to be a bit of a black comedy. Unfortunately, it fails to really deliver. I think there are a number of reasons for this.

Firstly, this book has been translated from German, meaning lots of the puns are lost in translation. German humour is different to British humour on the whole as well, and satirical references to German culture are often lost on a British reader.

Secondly, Vermes has set himself an impossible task. How do you write a comedy about Hitler without downplaying what Hitler actually did and actually was like? You can't! It would be too disturbing and uncomfortable. Instead we get what I have previously seen described as a Nigel Farage with a moustache. Rather right wing, but ultimately harmless. And this is a dangerous and potentially insulting thing to do. Hitler was an evil man, to portray him as a bit grumpy at worst is perhaps a bit of an issue. There were, however, some moments that were supposed to be serious and not funny that worked really well as Vermes explored real repercussions of Hitler's actions. Sadly, moments like this were few and far between.

Thirdly, I was left with a sense of confusion about what the whole point was. Things happen in the novel, of course. But its plot is more of a device in order to show off Hitler. Yes, it's about his rise to power again, but there is no antagonist (well, you know what I mean) or "problem", just Hitler being Hitler all the way through. Vermes' satire depends on Hitler's ridiculous observations about the world, yet once in a while he will make a very true and pertinent point. The novel ends (spoilers) without explaining a) How Hitler ended up in 2011 or b) why Hitler was wrong. In fact, the novel ends with Hitler essentially getting what he wanted. And when you combine this with his increasingly accurate observations about the world, it's hard not to wonder whether Vermes might be trying to say that Hitler wasn't "all bad", something which I found quite an alarming message for a book.

And finally, the middle was really boring. There were a lot of confusing rants that sometimes didn't make a lot of sense and lots of flashbacks to the past. What little plot there was didn't continue for a while.

There were some redeeming factors, as there were a few jokes that genuinely were funny and some interesting characters and themes as well as the odd thought provoking moment as mentioned above. But overall, I'm sad to say, this potentially very good idea isn't really worth reading.

4.5/10