Philosophers' Choice

A powerful novel about prejudice, violence, and complicity in Nazi Germany, this spare and evocative work interrogates how a group of people can slip towards extremism and barbarity in the blink of an eye. The time is the 1930s, and our narrator is Hans, a clever and inquisitive boy who relates a mix of things he witnesses himself and things he hears about from his father, the town doctor, who sees all sorts of people as he makes his rounds, even Herr Veilchenfeld, a renowned thinker and distinguished professor who has retired to live quietly in a country town in the east of Germany after his sudden dismissal from the university.

Veilchenfeld is in decline, it's true—he keeps ever more to himself—but the town is in ever better shape. After the defeat of the Great War and the subsequent years of poverty, things are looking up. The old, worn people are heartened to see it, and the young are exhilarated. It is up to them to promote and patrol this new uplifting reality—to make it safe from the likes of Veilchenfeld, whose very existence is an affront to it. And so the doctor listens, and young Hans looks on.

The novel interrogates how a group of people can so quickly slip towards extremism and barbarity, even in the face of a respected thinker like Veilchenfeld. The story is set against the backdrop of a town in 1930s Germany, where the people are emerging from the hardships of the Great War and the subsequent years of poverty. The young are especially excited about the prospects for the future, and they are determined to protect this newfound prosperity from any perceived threats, even if that means turning a blind eye to the suffering of individuals like Veilchenfeld.

The narrator, Hans, provides a unique perspective on these events, as he observes both his father, the town doctor, and Veilchenfeld himself. The doctor sees all sorts of people in his rounds, and he is privy to the town's inner workings, while Veilchenfeld, a once-respected intellectual, has retreated from public life after his sudden dismissal from the university. Through these two characters, the novel explores the ways in which prejudice and violence can take root in a community, even among seemingly upstanding citizens.

The novel's spare and evocative style heightens the sense of unease and complicity that permeates the story. The reader is left to grapple with the unsettling realization that the descent into extremism can happen with frightening speed, even in the face of reason and decency. The story serves as a powerful warning about the dangers of complacency and the importance of remaining vigilant in the face of rising intolerance and cruelty.

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