Wrestling With Truth: HHhH by Laurent Binet

HHhH
by Laurent Binet
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Reviewed by Sam Thomas

Laurent Binet’s historical novel HHhH (Himmler’s Hird heist Heydrich, or “Himmler’s brain is named Heydrich”) is among the most original and frustrating books of 2012.  It is a story about the past and at the same time about the difficulties that authors face any time they try to write about the past.

In order to address both of these questions, Binet interweaves two narratives.  The first is a straightforward thrill...