THE ASSAULT by Harry Mulisch

Note: I am not a paid reviewer, and I have purchased this title to read for my personal enjoyment.

My Dutch friend gave me this book, and told me that during his high school days it was more or less required reading for Dutch students. In 1945, most of Europe has been liberated, but Holland remains under the waning days of harsh Nazi occupation. Young Anton is at home one quiet evening when a notorious Nazi collaborator is shot outside on the street. The next door neighbors move the body from the front of their house to the front of Anton’s family’s house, setting off a chain of events in which Anton’s parents and brother are killed, their home is burned to the ground, and Anton is arrested and sent to live with relatives. A series of serendipitous encounters in the years ahead reveal to Anton the true circumstances of that night. Does the oppressed, faced with an impossible choice to choose between innocents to put in mortal danger, remain a victim or become guilty? Anton’s path to the truth gives you a melancholy feeling about the damage that has been done to his soul, certainly as intended by this master of historical suspense.