Jurek BeckerJacob the Liar

Fairy tale as hope.Set in a Polish ghetto under Nazi occupation, Jacob Heym is walking one night when a guard, playing mind games with him, tells him he is out past curfew and to report to the police station (where Jews have been seen entering but never leaving) to turn himself in and ask for his 'well-deserved' punishment. While in there with his heart in his throat, Jacob hears news of a battle between German and Russian forces relatively close. He is released, as it was well before curfew, but while working the next day with Misha, a young, strong, blue-eyed Jew, Jacob tells him that the Russians are winning and are on their way to saving them from the Nazis. When Misha gently disbelieves him, Jacob is seized by a thought - he knows this because he has a hidden radio (which is forbidden to Jews). He swears Misha to secrecy but you know where this is going, to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead. In an effort to give hope to his fiance's family, he tells. One thing leads to another and the entire ghetto looks upon Jacob as a savior and follow him with their eyes and themselves, begging for updates on their 'imminent' rescue. Jacob is forced to construct battles and updates. Even the 8-year-old orphan Lena, whom he took in when her parents were deported hears of it. She demands to see the radio. Jacob refuses to show it to her but hides behind a wall and pretends to BE the radio. A relatively skilled impersonator, he pretends he's a radio personality telling a fairy tale of a sick princess who is made well when a cloud she demands is brought to her. The cloud is a piece of cotton but since she believes that is what clouds are made of, she rises from her sickbed. Is that not what Jacob's lie is doing for the people of the ghetto? Suicides, which were prevalent, have plummeted to zero.Jacob however, buckling under the pressure, eventually breaks and confesses to a friend who has been haunting him for updates that his tale was false. The friend smiles and tells him he is not angry with him. The next day, Jacob discovers that he has hung himself. Does Jacob keep the tale going? The author, a Holocaust survivor himself, gives three different endings to the story. One he says is true.

It is about survival under the worst possible conditions - And about the power of story telling in Nazi ruled Europe. The USA starring Robin Williams was a noble attempt but the book is better. Compassion in extreme hardship, as Jacob a Jew in Nazi occupied East Europe offers solace to Jewish inhabitants including children who were being transported to a death camp. Nowadays also a warning about the evils of fascism regardless of the country where it is ruling or threatening to rule using white supremacism as its weapon. I think it should be read in this country as it wrestles with what some have called „fascinating fascism“.Duncan Smith Brown University (retired)

This novel is a somber story of hope gone sour, about people and their attempt to make their fears and hopelessness better in futile situations, in this case, the Holocaust. Jacob, after overhearing a radio report about the Russians coming closer, lies about having a radio. He becomes the news bearer. Told in 3rd person, is it Jacob who is lying, or is the narrator lying about the entire incident. I won't say more about the plot.This book is a must own and should be reread once in a while for it's richness in language. It has a sort of Kundera way in its writing (the long beginning about "trees").A plus for me is the dust jacket with the film stills from the absolutely excellent 1975 East German adaptation starring the brilliant, late Vlastimil Brodsky ("Closely Watched Trains") and Armin Mueller-Stahl (before his escape from E. Germany), which is also scripted by Becker (skip the US version, which is a reworking and Hollywood-ization of the original novel).Extremely touching and sad and beautiful! A Masterpiece!

This book reminded me a bit of "The Book Thief" since it takes place during WWII, but has a somewhat quirky style. It takes place in a ghetto, the next step to a concentration camp. Most of the characters are inmates. The narrator isn't named and doesn't figure much in the story in that he never really appears as a character. The violence takes place, but is seldom described. Jacob tells something he hears and because of that ends up telling a series of lies because they give hope to the other inmates of the ghetto.

It was a bit more predictable than I might have hoped, but not too much so. The characters sounded like descriptions of real people. You could imagine someone back then having quirky neighbors like so and so, or annoying in JUST that way. There were some surprises, or plot twists but nothing so implausible that you had to suspend your disbelief. There were unlikely coincidences of the sort that really happen and friction between people that seemed realistic. If you like characters to sound like real people with realistic and imperfect relationships, it was good.

Whomever was responsible for turning this wonderful book into an eBook should be shot. Ok maybe not shot ... Flogged. Ok maybe not flogged ... At least not paid. Reading this fine book was a horrible experience. My advice ... Buy the hard cover.

Had to have this for a history class!

The book is entertaining but a bit slow and bland. I think something may have been lost in the translation. Treats the subject matter a bit lightly, which is not a bad thing. Many books dealing with the Jewish community in Nazi Germany are too dark and tragic. A sense of humor s after all a critical ingredient for survival during dark times.

Excellent book

a little bit worn cover, but inside as if new

It makes the brain think.

absolutely brilliant

Knowing the fate awaiting them was disturbing. Jacob is an agonized hero attempting to give a semblance of hope that only he knows may not exist.