After Midnight (Neversink) in Around the World in 80 Books

Apr 29, 2025 Jim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: world-war-2, politics, fiction

This book could almost be listed as a non-fiction memoir, as Keun did live in Germany during the rise of Nazism and did experience much of the oppression of which she writes. As in her other works, Keun tells her story through the voice of a narrator, Sanna, a naive young woman from a rural area trying to make her way in the big city of Frankfurt. Sanna's innocent and naive observations on her experiences cleverly point out the flaws and evils in the National Socialist way of governance. You had This book could almost be listed as a non-fiction memoir, as Keun did live in Germany during the rise of Nazism and did experience much of the oppression of which she writes. As in her other works, Keun tells her story through the voice of a narrator, Sanna, a naive young woman from a rural area trying to make her way in the big city of Frankfurt. Sanna's innocent and naive observations on her experiences cleverly point out the flaws and evils in the National Socialist way of governance. You had to write (and read) the right literature, associate with the right people, say the right things in the right way to the right people. People are whisked away by authorities and held for varying periods of time, sometimes forever.

The period covered in the book seems to be the mid-1930s, so before the invasion of Poland. Jews were still in some abundance, but it was considered unacceptable to have any positive interactions with Jewish people. Sitting beside one in a bar could get your name on the shit list.

Our protagonist, Sanna, makes an offhand remark about not wanting to be lectured by Goring and ends up in a Gestapo interrogation centre where she observes:

" This Gestapo room seems to be a positive place of pilgrimage. Mothers are informing on their daughters-in-law, daughters on their fathers-in-law, brothers on their sisters, sisters on their brothers, friends on their friends, drinking companions on their drinking companions, neighbours on their neighbours. And the typewriters go clatter, clatter, clatter, all the statements are taken down, all the informers are treated well and kindly. Now and then mothers whose sons have disappeared turn up, wives whose husbands have disappeared, sisters whose brothers have disappeared, children whose parents have disappeared, friends whose friends have disappeared. People making these inquiries are not so well and kindly treated as the informers..."

Sounds like the western world during the COVID-19 fiasco.

Keun knows whereof she speaks, as she was actually interrogated by the Gestapo and her books were used as fuel at many a bonfire. She was able to get herself out of Germany before the balloon went up.

I won't say much else about it, it's a short book, a quick read, really held my attention. I think it probably gives a good insight into the thought processes and confusion of the average German citizen in the years before WWII. ...more

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