Book Title: The Karnau Tapes
Book Author: Marcel Beyer
Genre: Historical fiction
Quick Synopsis: The Karnau Tapes tells he story of Nazi Germany from two very different perspectives.
One, through the eyes of a young sound engineer named Hermann Karnau, who lives in his own world of experiments and obsessive devotion to his science. He will stop at nothing to study and record every type of sound possible to add to his ever-growing collection. His assignments take him to Nazi rallies, where his work attracts the attention of some major party figures, including Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister, who grows to trust him enough to let him take care of his children for a number of days. While he is taking care of them, he forms a warm bond of friendship with the oldest child, Helga.
The story is also told through the eyes of young Helga Goebbels, who is wise beyond her years. She reveals many aspects of her privileged, yet empty life from the perspective of her strange twisted innocence. She bears witness to the disintegration of her family and her world- her mother's emotional instability, her father's infidelity and pathetic denial that defeat is near, and the neglect and abuse that she and her siblings face on a daily basis as the children of one of the most important men in the Reich.
What was right with it?: The author's decision to narrate the story through the eyes of Helga Goebbels. The story of her and her siblings and the fate that ultimately befell them has always fascinated me.
Having her as a narrator creates an interesting perspective that many people would not even think of. He tells her story well, revealing her inner pain and the way the the society she has grown up in has corrupted her so tragically.
He also chose a profession for his main character that most people don't think twice about: a sound technician. In the book, he reveals details about Nazi Germany that few people even consider. Most people know about the big speeches and the big rallies, but this book describes the people behind the scenes who made them possible.
It has lots of moral ambiguity in it. I love moral ambiguity. Then again, what else can you expect from a book about Nazis?
What was wrong with it?: The parts that Karnau narrate are kind of boring to me, because they go on and on about the science of sound and the technical workings of old sound recorders. To read those parts, you just have to realize that that's the way the character is. He describes his world through sound, and I suppose that creates an interesting perspective.
But it does drag a bit in some places. Some chapters take patience to get through.
Marks: 8 out of 10
It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was interesting nonetheless.
Recommended Age Of Reader: 16+, for some mature themes.
If you're even remotely interested in WWII and Nazi Germany, I suggest you read this.
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