It is with trepidation that I recommend Hope: A Tragedy. Having survived the Holocaust, escaped Germany and not claimed a penny of her 32 million-selling book empire, Anne Frank – the world’s best known victim of the Nazi regime – is catapulted into
It is with trepidation that I recommend Hope: A Tragedy. Having survived the Holocaust, escaped Germany and not claimed a penny of her 32 million-selling book empire, Anne Frank – the world’s best known victim of the Nazi regime – is catapulted into in the attic of Solomon Kugel’s mid-Western farmhouse; and if you were worried that the controversy quota wasn’t quite being met, she is decrepit, demanding and downright belligerent to boot.
Yes it’s naughty, it’s categorically off limits. Auslander’s new novel is the story of one man’s need to purge his house of history’s best-known martyr. As our beloved A.L. Kennedy (Guardian columnist and short story writer) puts it: this book “will make very many people angry” – you don’t say. “It will also make very many people very happy” she adds. After all, Auslander is a recent recruit to the canon of Jewish-American writers and there is some affection in his seemingly obscene treatment of the Auschwitz "survivor".
That’s because there is something symbolic at play, of course. Anne Frank was a brilliant young writer whose suffering and experience far surpass that of almost any writer since. She is a symbol of greatness and also of guilt and her presence in Kugel’s house reflects her presence in all Jewish households.
So Auslander is forgiven and anyone not willing to overlook the book’s immediate premise to appreciate the nostalgic sentiments at its core should be dismissed on grounds of stupidity (as Martin Amis put it, “the humourless as a bunch don't just not know what's funny, they don't know what's serious…they shouldn’t be trusted with anything.”)
"This is not just AnOther Good Book, it’s a trouble-making, rabble-rousing riot of a good read that should be given full attention by all"
One never tires of such moments: “Anne Frank… that’s all I fucking need”. It may seem easy, but it certainly works. The book’s comic timing rivals that of Brett Easton Ellis or Sam Lipsyte, the interaction between characters is lively, truthful and perfectly executed and the occasional passages devoted to Kugel’s mental state tell a perfect tale of modern anxiety.
For a book to win as much acclaim as this already has against the odds of its controversial subject matter, is testament to its success. This is not just AnOther Good Book, it’s a trouble-making, rabble-rousing riot of a good read that should be given full attention by all.
Here’s three more you’ll like if you like this one:
The Ask by Sam Lipsyte – The funniest book written in recent years. Much like Hope, The Ask is controversial, distressingly funny and completely saturated with bittersweet tragi-comedy.
The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth – Anne Frank might just be the strangest literary tradition going. Pioneered by Roth back in 1979, The Ghost Writer tells the tale of Nathan Zuckerman, who mistakenly believes that the young diarist is living under the guise of his new housemate.
Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace – As witty and pertinent as Auslander’s novel, this collection of essays offers the best introduction to another of America’s great contemporary authors.
Hope: A Tragedy is published by Picador next month and will be available from all major books retailers.
