Love and Terror: Novel

by William Herrick

Now available as a New Directions paperbook, Love and Terror, William Herrick’s second novel with ND, both reflects and anticipates today’s headlines. Terrorist kidnappings, hijackings, and dramatic rescues all form a part of the plot, but Herrick’s interest lies less in tension-filled heroics than in the human cost of flawed idealism. Through the notebook of the principal terrorist, Viktor X, the complex characters of Viktor and Gabriele, for whom love and terrorism are intertwined and inseparable, are revealed. And in a series of interviews with a nameless reporter, the lives of three disillusioned revolutionaries––”the old ones,” now hostages to a new brand of revolution––gradually and movingly unfold. In his earlier Shadows and Wolves (New Directions, 1980), Herrick showed us the possibility of human solutions that transcend politics. In Love and Terror he shows us why any ideology, inflexibly adhered to, makes such solutions necessary.

Genres: Fiction, Literature

250 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1981

Reviews

[ANDREW CATALDO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written. Terrorism enthusiasts, you will not be let down!

[Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, an extremely hard book to get your hands on. I had to do an interlibrary loan through my university to get a copy. Overall, a very moving story that filled me in on a lot of the political geography of the early to mid 20th century that I didn't really grasp or was not taught in school. I actually think that despite its content (or rather BECAUSE of its content) this book should be taught in schools. Every person who fights for a cause utilizing some sort of violence will be labeled a terrorist. It is important to know when a cause is worth fighting for and when a cause is truly hollow. It is also important to recognize when the cause or figurehead you have pledged your allegiance to no longer aligns with your values. Love and Terror is such a complex novel. The "Old Ones"(the three revolutionaries of the previous era) fought their whole lives for the sake of socialism and a new, more equitable world order- infiltrating the Nazi party, tending to the wounded, organizing revolution- and were rewarded with nothing, due fully or in part to being Jewish. As the Socialist Party turns its back on them, so too do they turn their backs on the cause. They head to Israel, the only place they believe they have left, despite knowing how against their morals and everything they have fought for it is to live in a settler-colonial state. They live in relative peace until the pivotal hijacking by the "Young Ones": 20-30-something-year-olds who have only ever lived upper class existences in a post-WWII post-Hitler & Stalin world. Viktor and Gabrielle are sparked to join the Cause of revolution after learning that their fathers were involved in the Nazi Party. The young ones spiral further and further down a hole of violence and anarchy with their comrades that once had a purpose but by the end becomes muddled. They understand the geopolitical problems that plague 60s-70s Europe, like fascism, misuse of power, colonialism and yearn for a new world order. They rebel against the bourgeoisie and wish to take it down by any means. Their pivotal act involves taking hostages and making demands of the Israeli and other international governments. The fallout you will have to read for yourself (if you can find a copy). Every single person in this story can be considered a terrorist, a revolutionary, and a lover. Every human has convictions, has dreams, has love. What you do with these things and how far you take it is up to you.