Book review: Look Who's Back

Look Who's Back - Timur Vermes

Let's discuss the elephant in the room here. Yes, that's Adolf Hitler on the cover. My brother recommended Look Who's Back as he knows I'm interested in both World War 2 history and satire. The plot of this satirical novel involves Hitler waking up in a field in 2011, with a terrible headache and no sign of his supporters. As he realises that modern German is far from his ideal, he sets out to right the wrongs of his beloved fatherland and to continue his unfinished business. Mistaken for a highly accurate comedy impersonator who is always in character, he experiences a meteoric rise to fame through the use of social media and gossip magazines. 

I was so excited to read this book. It had so many glowing reviews and I was expecting a lot of dry humour and clever historical references. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. It wasn't bad, by any means, and I'm not easily offended; I didn't find it tasteless or insulting at all. It just felt very anti-climactic. 

It's not a laugh-a-minute book, and I appreciated that. I'm far more a fan of subtle comedy than slap-you-round-the-face-laugh-you-idiots comedy (which is why I don't like Lee Evans at all!). There were moments that made me scoff at the intelligence of the wit. Most of this came from the frequent use of dramatic irony. An example that stands out is when Hitler reminisces over his favourite guns, and can't understand why the thought of a PPK pistol makes his head hurt so much. 

However, there was a lot of information on Hitler's career in politics. Although this was necessary to the storyline, and I totally understand why the author included it, I found it dry and frustrating. I already know the history of Nazi Germany, and I chose this book based on the concept: Hitler's life in 2011 was the draw for me, not political history that can be found in any textbook. Like I said, I understand why the author included it but I feel that perhaps the balance was a little out.

For me, the ending of a book is always make or break. This was one of the least final endings I have experienced. I literally said aloud "Oh! Is that it?". There was no grand finale. No feeling of closure. It was just like the ending of any other sentence in the book and I found this very disappointing.

All in all, although I loved the concept, I just didn't find that the book lived up to my expectations. Perhaps it would have been better if I had read the original German edition, but, as I can't read German too well, that will have to wait for another time.