31st July 2021

After reading Look Who's Back som eyears ago I had been waiting for another onvel from Timur Vermes, and ere it is. This time it's an alternate future (or maybe a possible future) in which a refugee crisis has led to policies of isolationism across Europe.

We follow a range of characters - from politicans to journalists to reality show celebrities - as they exist in this world and in their own ways to deal constructively with their reality.

The satire feels different in this novel - it's a lot harder, and less funny really because the subject matter is so much more real. So while it's detectable, its not really entertaining.

So quite a difficult novel to read really, because it does feel very plausible, and perhaps would serve as a warning, but I can't see enough of the right people reading it and taking in its message.

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25th May 2015

I've been tempted by this book for some time since first seeing the cover in a little bookshop, and finally got a copy. I was not disappointed.

The story is that of Adolf Hitler, having woken up in the early 21st Century one day with no memory of the intervening period. He tells the story in the first person in the form of a memoir, as he makes contact with modern-day Berliners and learns about how the world has changed.

This is a comedic novel, and much of the humour comes from misunderstandings - both those of Hitler, who takes a lot of things at face value and makes bold assumptions, and of those around him, who believe him to be a very committed method actor/comedian.

I really enjoyed the book, and even felt I learnt a lot from it about Hitler's life and things that happened in Germany in the mid-20th Century. So long as you've got a reasonable sense of humour and won't be offended too much, I would definitely recommend it.

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