I recently listened to Dan Carlin's latest Hardcore History Addendum podcast, where he mentioned an intriguing publishing tactic: placing a swastika on a book's cover significantly boosts its sales, tapping into society's enduring fascination with the NAZI regime's atrocities. It worked on me!
For the initial two-thirds of "Fatherland" by Robert Harris, I was under the impression that the book merely exploited this tactic. Set in a 1960s Berlin where the Nazis have won the war and are engaged in a Cold War with the United States, the narrative unfolds as a somewhat predictable police procedural, complete with a murder investigation and an exotic love interest. The alternate reality serves more as a backdrop for a while, offering readers a glimpse into the grandiose yet horrific Berlin envisioned by Speer and Hitler, there are lots of SS uniforms and a menacing general vibe, yet it seems to add little to the plot's substance.
However, as the story progresses into its final third, the necessity of its setting in 1960s Berlin becomes unmistakably clear. The murder is revealed to be part of a larger, more sinister conspiracy, providing a broader commentary on life under totalitarian rule. The narrative delves into the 'banality of evil'—the idea that ordinary individuals, simply by performing their duties without question, can perpetuate immense atrocities. It prompts reflection on family dynamics, moral choices, and the potential for dissent within such regimes.
The protagonist, with his cynical demeanour and relentless questioning of the status quo, becomes increasingly relatable and compelling. In contrast, the love interest, though entertaining, strikes a less convincing note, bordering on caricature.
The book is expertly researched. You really feel you are moving round the Berlin imagined in Speer's models and Hitler's mind before it was flattened. The party members are all real party members with alternate histories. The world before the timeline splits in the early 40s is at it is for us. This was done well, it is no marketing trick.
To it's credit "Fatherland" eschews a formulaic ending, instead leaving readers to ponder the realities of life under totalitarianism and the ease with which such histories could have unfolded. This narrative serves as a poignant reminder of the thin line between our reality and a world where the truth and lives are equally disposable—a cautionary tale for contemporary society.