"The Kindly Ones" by Jonathan Littell is a nearly 1000-page novel that delves into the horrors of World War II through the eyes of Max Aue, an SS officer. The book paints a detailed picture of Aue's involvement in significant historical events such as the Nazi invasion of Poland, the Battle of Stalingrad, and his time in Hitler's bunker. Through Aue's narrative, the book explores themes of morality, the banality of evil, and the psychological complexities of individuals caught up in the atrocities of war. Littell's writing style combines historical accuracy with literary fiction to offer a deep and disturbing insight into the darkest chapters of human history.

Characters:

The characters, particularly Maximilien Aue, display a blend of intelligence and moral depravity, exploring the complexities and contradictions of human nature within a horrific historical context.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is dense, demanding, and challenging, with minimal breaks and unconventional formatting, reflecting the psyche of the narrator through detailed descriptions and philosophical explorations.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers around Maximilien Aue, a Nazi officer reflecting on his actions and experiences during WWII, intertwining personal and historical events, framed within themes echoing Greek tragedy.

Setting:

The setting ranges from the brutal Eastern Front during WWII to post-war France, juxtaposing historical atrocities with Aue's later life.

Pacing:

The pacing is uneven, with extensive historical detail leading to a long, sometimes tedious read, particularly in the latter sections that focus on the protagonist's psychological unraveling.

At the border they had set up a pontoon bridge. Just next to it, rising above the gray water of the Bug, the warped girders of the metal bridge the Soviets had dynamited lay in tangles. Our sappers ha...

Notes:

The title refers to the Greek goddesses of justice and vengeance.

The story parallels the Greek tragedy of Orestes but focuses on human flaws rather than a fatal flaw.

Dr. Maximilian Aue, the protagonist, embodies common human faults such as fear and ambition.

The book is harrowing and can cause nightmares due to its intense themes.

Littell argues that perpetrators of atrocities are also human and not just monstrous figures.

The novel critiques the black-and-white view of morality, questioning how ordinary people engage in evil acts.

It was well-received in France, winning the Prix Goncourt, but had mixed reviews in the US.

Littell, an American, was raised in France and worked in humanitarian agencies in conflict zones.

Dr. Aue is an educated man with a law degree, an intellectual National Socialist, and explores the psychological impact of war.

The book is dense, with 900 pages and few paragraph breaks, making it a challenging read.

Dr. Aue's character is not just a villain but also displays complex human emotions and experiences.

Littell uses Aue's story to explore the bureaucratic aspects of the Holocaust and the normalization of evil.

The narrative includes graphic depictions of violence,-making it a disturbing read.

The novel intertwines historical events with the protagonist's personal life, including incestuous relationships and sexual identity issues.

Many consider the book a modern classic that challenges readers to reflect on their moral choices in extreme situations.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The Kindly Ones includes high content warnings for graphic violence, explicit sexual content, incest, and psychological trauma.

From The Publisher:

"Simply astounding. . . . The Kindly Ones is unmistakably the work of a profoundly gifted writer." - Time

A literary prize-winner that has been an explosive bestseller all over the world, Jonathan Littell's The Kindly Ones has been called "a brilliant Holocaust novel… a world-class masterpiece of astonishing brutality, originality, and force," and "relentlessly fascinating, ambitious beyond scope," by Michael Korda (Ike, With Wings Like Eagles). Destined to join the pantheon of classic epics of war such as Tolstoy's War and Peace and Vasily Grossman's Life and Fate, The Kindly Ones offers a profound and gripping experience of the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust.

Ratings (4)

Loved It (2)
It Was OK (1)
Did Not Like (1)

Reader Stats (8):

Read It (4)
Currently Reading (1)
Want To Read (3)

1 comment(s)

ThatMandy

It Was OK

2 months

If only the author had skipped over the never-ending passages of mind numbing bureaucracy and personal philosophy this novel would genuinely be a masterpiece. The depth of the history within combined with the narrator’s being clearly traumatized by and desensitized to the horrors going on around him and sometimes enacted by him truly captures what it actually may have been like to be a semi-high ranking member of the SS, which is a perspective rarely shown (for good reason). This isn’t sympathetic to the Nazis, but rather highlights the horror of what they did more by showing their humanity. In the end this book was beautifully and brilliantly written, disturbing beyond measure, and far, far too long. I will never read it again but I’m glad I did.

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About the Author:

Jonathan Littell was born in 1967 in New York of American parents and brought up and educated mainly in France. This novel, originally published in France as Les Bienveillantes, became a bestseller and won the coveted Prix Goncourt and the Académie Française's Prix de Littérature. Previously he worked for the humanitarian agency, Action contre la faim, in Bosnia, Chechnya, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He now lives in Spain.

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The Kindly Ones

Jonathan Littell