Martin Amis was (and still is even after his death) one of the pre-eminent fiction writers of our time. With highly popular novels like “Money,” “London Fields” and “Time’s Arrow,” Amis established himself amongst the literary elite, and his more modern masterpiece “The Zone of Interest” reminds everybody of how magnificent a writer Amis was.
Set in Nazi Germany during WWII, Amis focuses on Kat Zet (short for Konzentrationslager), where Nazi guard and nephew of Hitler’s secretary Angelus Thomsen, or “Golo,” finds himself in love with Hannah Doll, the wife of the concentration camp commandant Paul Doll. The story is told from three alternating perspectives: Thomsen, Paul Doll and Szmul, the lead of the Sonderkommando, which was a group of prisoners burdened with the unimaginable horror of disposing of dead bodies.
Amis skillfully weaves these three accounts together and dives in and out of each as the story progresses. Without revealing too much, Amis uses this technique as a way to create a certain resonance and experience throughout the novel. He aims to illuminate how miserable and turbulent this period of human history was and how it impacted the minds of both the oppressor and the oppressed.
In my view, the book’s different perspectives achieve the proper tone and cadence you would expect from each character. Szmul, for example, speaks about his general mentality toward his work:
“I used to have the greatest respect for nightmares—for their intelligence and artistry. Now I think nightmares are pathetic. They are quite incapable of coming up with anything even remotely as terrible as what I do all day—and they’ve stopped trying. Now I just dream about cleanliness and food.”
Szmul, for good reason, hits all readers in the most tender spot of the heart. I have little doubt that Amis included this intentionally—and in my opinion, it is why he is simply one of the greatest to put pen to paper. He surveys the psyche at all levels—from top to bottom—and writes brilliantly about not only the suffering and trauma but the unfettered Nazi idealism of the upper echelon, like that espoused by Paul Doll:
“Triumphalism tempts me not in the slightest, for National Socialists never boast or crow. We unsmilingly turn, rather, to a mature assessment of the historic responsibilities. Eurasia is ours; we will purify even as we pacify, whilst also fanning out, as acknowledged suzerains, over the restless nations of the West. I raise my glass to General Friedrich Paulus and his valiant 6th Army. All hail our ineluctable victory in the Battle of Stalingrad!”
One would normally think of such barbarism as accompanying a sort of primitive flair. However, this is the most terrifying thing about Nazi Germany. It was calculated and precise, and Germany, known for its education and elevated record of intelligence, supported such a movement. These factors make learning about the Nazi phenomenon fascinating and crucially important. It also elucidates how incredibly complex the time was.
As Amis himself writes in the book’s acknowledgments section on the question of Hitler, he quotes Alan Bullock, writing: “I can’t explain Hitler. I don’t believe anyone can … the more I learn about Hitler, the harder I find it to explain.”
And since it is impossible to truly understand someone like Hitler, it must be equally, if not more, challenging to understand Nazi Germany as a whole. In my reading, “The Zone of Interest” is not only Amis’ attempt to explain what happened but also why and how. In many ways, this novel represents his unique individual account and understanding, and it is an incredibly insightful read for even the most polished historian. The research that Amis put into this novel is not to be underestimated (You can read about this in the acknowledgments section, too).
Speaking of history, this book is a must-read for those who indulge in historical fiction. At times, I found myself in awe over how accurate the novel is—and anyone who appreciates preciseness will not be disappointed. Even if you do not look at intricacies while reading, Amis provides the reader with a pleasurable experience—of course, aside from the subject matter (which is inevitably depressing). His almost-Nabokovian emphasis on the beauty and flexibility of language and, of course, the sentence itself is why this book is so incredible—truly one of the masterpieces of our time.
Be prepared before reading, however. It is a heavy book, and it takes a great deal of willpower to confront how dark and tumultuous the events that took place were. As the heroic survivor of Auschwitz Primo Levi once said: “I am constantly amazed by man’s inhumanity to man.” Perhaps there is no better phrase that sums it all up.
Note: The book has also been put in film. So, if you like the book, make sure to watch the movie.
