638. The Ogre

The Ogre
Michel Tournier
1970

Around 375 pages

The List had given us a short break from World War II novels, but we are back in full swing with this work, which tells the story of a man who recruits children to be Nazis in the belief that he is protecting them. It's an impressive work, but still disappointing to those of us looking for a good Halloween read (hey, they are few and far between on this blog).

Abel Tiffauges attends a religious boarding school (which are always hellish prisons in novels...and maybe in real life too). He later becomes a prisoner of war, and finds himself having to recruit children in the Mazurian region. 

This was a nightmarish read, partly because it depicts a very ugly world, and partly because the writing style reminded me of Thomas Mann. I thought the ending really didn't fit with the rest of the novel, which might have been intentional but still felt jarring to me. And obviously, Abel is a tough character to hitch your wagon to for almost 400 pages.

Some good stuff in there, but not my cup of tea.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Adapted into a film starring John Malkovich in 1996.

UP NEXT: The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark