Tuesday, September 6, 2016

MISCHELING by Affinity Konar















A+


Little Brown and Company
Pub date Sept. 6 2016

Review

Auschwitz, a name of unspeakable evil. Josef Mengele, obsessed with "medical science" finds twins particularly interesting to his "projects". 
I avoid reading WWII novels. Mengele's attrocities on twins, triplets, children with deformities is widely known. This novel differs, by giving victims a voice.
Affinity Konar's prose is beautiful, befitting the novel's difficult subject.
I hesitated before picking up this novel. My hesitation weight the aspect of voyeuristic titillation versus reading out of sheer respect for children who suffered inhuman experiments at the hands of a sadistic butcher. It is not an easy read, sadness was overwhelming, respect towards each individual child kept me reading.
Also the novel is a historical novel, the characters are fictional. Most of Mengele's victims did not survive their injuries, time has passed, survivors are very few.
Below twins which survived Mengele, they are Eva and Miriam Kor. They inspired the writing of this book. Eva is still living, Miriam passed away after years of suffering due to the insanity of Mengele. Neither Eva or Miriam were able to conceive, also the result of Mengele's butchery.







Highly recommended historical novel.

5/5



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