Not what I expected

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kathleen Avatar

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The subject matter of this book is really fascinating. It tells, through a young translator during the Nuremberg trials, not only the atrocities of the war, but also the naivety of young Germans and the refusal of older Germans to talk about the war. I couldn't help but be reminded of Nora Krug's gorgeous book Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home which also told of the same dichotomy. What that book did, that this one didn't, was really portray the emotions that are carried with that history. As I read this book I kept wondering if this was originally meant to be a novel as it read so flat and devoid of emotion. Many times deep emotions and nuances get lost in translations but I don't think that was the case here. I have to wonder if the words were originally there to be translated. Also, the book is one huge chapter and many times would switch time periods of character POV without even separating the paragraphs. Hopefully that is just a formatting issue on the advanced copy? Overall, this read felt almost like a play or something more non-fiction based and unfortunately it really distracted me from ever being engaged with the characters or immersed in the story.