What would you do if you found Anne Frank in your attic? Shalom Auslander’s Hope: A Tragedy answers this question with a compelling cynicism that recalls David Sedaris. The newly released book is a modern take on the most frequently discussed subject in Jewish literature, the Holocaust.
In Hope: A Tragedy, protagonist Solomon Kugel moves to a farmhouse in a quiet country town with his wife, son and mother, looking for a chance to start over after a traumatic experience. Soon after the move, he notices several strange things about the house – a horrible smell coming from the vents and a repetitive tapping noise coming from the attic. Fed up with the disturbances and scared that an arsonist is trying to set the house on fire, Kugel ventures into the attic, only to find an old woman wrapped in rags, claiming to be Anne Frank. Of course, his immediate thought is that Anne Frank is dead, but over time he comes to believe her. The novel follows his attempts to deal with her presence while caring for his dying mother, sickly son and exasperated wife.
Most Jews would be afraid to approach the Holocaust with such a sarcastic style. Nevertheless, Auslander, an orthodox Jew himself, constantly broaches the subject with an attitude approaching callousness. However, he never loses the emotion, the utter despair that overtook the victims and more importantly, the survivors. His characters and their disturbing quirks best exemplify his take on the Holocaust. For instance, Kugel’s mother constantly blames everything on “the war” even though she was born in 1945 and never took part in a war. Auslander’s version of the most famous victim (or in this case survivor) of the Holocaust is not to be admired. Anne Frank confines herself to an attic, never forgetting the tortures inflicted on her and never moving on. She is a shriveled creature attempting to write a new book that sells more copies than her diary, even though she could never believably publish it under her own name.
In the end, however, the saddest character is Kugel himself. He is preoccupied by death, quoting last lines of famous figures, making preparations for a future version of the Holocaust and wishing death on members of his family. Auslander’s view through the eyes of Kugel, though set in present day, is just as dark as any classic Holocaust literature. This is not a book for the easily offended. It could even disturb some with its cynical analysis of everyday life and modern views of the Holocaust. However, it is one of the most brilliant books I have read in a long time, and Auslander’s wit combined with an easily readable style make it a darkly humorous, worthwhile read.
–Megan Bounds
