Zonde van mijn tijd geweest. Nu aan het einde van het boek nog steeds niet duidelijk wat de schrijver nou wil vertellen. Jammer want zijn andere boeken doen dat wel ( )

World War II is nearing its end (although no one knew that at the time), and there is a large community of refugees in New York City. Most of the ones we meet are German Jews, one is a French woman of Russian descent, and our main character, Ross, is German but not Jewish. He has spent a long time running from the Nazis because he opposed their regime, and he has spent time in jails and concentration camps before making it to the US. He has next to nothing, not even his real name because he is using someone else's passport. What he does have is a hatred for what is happening in Germany and a great love for and knowledge of art that he gained during the time he spent hiding in an art museum in Brussels. Now that he is in New York he is safe, at least as long as his visa is valid, and he, like all the refugees, has to find a way to live in spite of the memories that haunt him.

This novel is good, however, I didn't enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed some of Remarque's other books. I think the reason for this is that Shadows in Paradise focuses primarily on the psychological impact of the war, so there's not much in the book. Regardless, it's definitely worth reading if you're a fan of Remarque or if you want see World War II from the perspective of an average German citizen. ( )

833.912 REM