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Set during Nazi occupation,a young Dutch couple,Wim and Marie,hide a Jewish man who calls himself Nico in their house.When Nico dies from natural causes & Marie makes a mistake,the couple fully understand what Nico experienced living like a prisoner waiting for the world to change.The novella focuses on the daily routines&inner lives of its 3 protagonists&despite not going into much depth¬ telling a thrilling story,it affects the reader bc it‘s

The only thing slightly comedic in this 1947 novella is that the Jewish man the couple are hiding and trying to save from the Nazi machine dies of natural causes instead and they have to dispose of the body without being caught. 🥹

It is quite short and I was left wanting or needing a bit more development.

The comedy, for me, was certainly very minor, to the extent that I assume the title is meant ironically, because while there were certainly the makings of a very dark farce, Keilson didn't take his story that way (unless I just don't get German humour 🤷🏻‍♂️). None of which is intended as criticism, as the story was very affecting & emotional, detailing the effects of living in a real-life dystopia, that of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.

"People veil a body in fabric and clothing so that the blaze of its nakedness does not blind too deeply the eyes that see it, people veil life itself with precious garments, behind which, as under ashes, the double-tongued fire of creation smoulders."

Yesterday's full #bookhaul 📚
The tagged book sounds amazing - farcical & heartbreaking. A Dutch couple shelter a Jewish man during the Nazi occupation, but when he dies they have the potentially fatal problem of disposing of his body.
The Penguin is The Mirror of My Heart, a 1000 years of Persian women's poetry 💚
Bantam is a book of poetry steeped in the author's Scottish roots 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
I've already posted about Tolkien & Drayton🐉🧚🏻‍♀️

One of the very first Holocaust-themed novels, published in 1947, it concerns a young, naive Dutch couple who agree to hide a Jewish man in their home during WWII. Then, he dies of pneumonia. What to do with a Jewish corpse under the Nazi occupation? Quietly powerful.

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