Discontent in Winter
Media: Audio
Read by: Suzanne Tores

You take what you need
And you leave the rest
But they should never
Have taken the very best -
Robbie Robertson from The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

This is Magee’s debut novel and for a debut novel it’s pretty good.

Essentially an anti-war novel, its change from the standard novel of this sub-genre, is that it is told from the position of the “baddies”, the Germans in WWII.

There are references to the horrors of Naziism throughout, and especially at the book’s beginning, but a large part of the novel - certainly the most memorable - takes place in the frozen steppes of Russia in the months leading up to the German army’s inglorious retreat.

I’m not going to give a synopsis of the plot as it’s to be found elsewhere. The main characters, Peter and Katherina are deftly if not deeply drawn. The supporting cast of four German soldiers holds more interest.

These soldiers go from village to village in the frozen Russian snowscape, seeking refuge, and killing and pillaging the locals in the process. Gradually and one by one they become convinced that war is futile. They are starving, covered in lice and suffering more from frostbite than from Russian bullets. And as appears to be the way with soldiers everywhere, this band of brothers show compassion to fellow soldiers while simultaneously being oblivious to the suffering of the villagers whose lives they ruin.

It’s a good read. I had the audio version and have to commend the reader, Suzanne Toren for her ability to handle the many conversations that make up this book. Conversations are so often badly read, especially when the one reader has to handle two genders and different accents.

A good listen. ( )

I recently read Magee's book [The Colony] and wanted to read more of her work. This book was almost completely done in dialogue and letters. It is in ways a type of a love story that helped to keep two people alive, one a German soldier fighting in Russia (WW2) and one a young woman trying to keep her family together in Berlin. It showed the extreme underbelly of war. There were very chilling aspects of the Nazi power structures and acceptance of the treatment of Jews. It was quite a riveting read but in ways a difficult read. ( )

Brilliant, really enjoyed this book ( )

This is a tough one! I appreciate the writing - understated and spare. I appreciate the telling of a WW2 story from the point of view of two ordinary German citizens - a soldier and a young woman in Berlin, both of whom have fully bought into the Nazi agenda.

I think this is an important book to read. However I found myself in the very uncomfortable position of wishing both of the main characters, and most of the secondary characters, a most miserable outcome. That has never happened to me before! There are scenes in this book that for some people could read as innocuous, and yet for me they were so chilling and unnerving that they bothered me as much, if not more, than graphic scenes in more typical Holocaust novels. I will say that these scenes read as true, realistic, horrific and bland all at the same time. I attribute that to the skills of the writer and her understanding of the time, the mindset of the people, and human nature.

I think this book is an important counterbalance to other Holocaust books as it gives insight into the minds of those who not only stood by and let atrocities happen, but encouraged, supported and benefitted (for a time) from them.

It is interesting reading other reviews and seeing how this book is perceived very differently by different people. Some reviews are actually scary.... ( )

A fine if limited story tracing the fortunes of a young German couple in World War Two, beginning with the months after Barbarossa and ending with the rape of Berlin. It touches upon all the major events of that period and how they affected committed (but not necessarily Nazi) young Germans, and the final chapters are a worthy addition of something rarely addressed in histories. Audrey Magee captures something of the shift in perception and outlook of the German people, from confidence in Nazi victories in 1942, to growing unease as the effects of the war are brought home in injured men and bombing raids, to outright fear at the Russian reckoning to come.

Magee writes all this in a spare, pared-back style. This is something I am usually a big fan of, but here it has mixed results. It is great for the flow of the book – considering it takes place over a number of eventful years, it is remarkably concise and quick to read – and I always enjoy reading between the lines. However, it will for many appear soulless (though not to me) and the quick pace can sometimes short-circuit the emotional impact of certain plot developments. Its white-space approach also means it is hard to cotton onto any real themes – Magee's style does not really allow for any in-depth contemplation on German guilt or the morality of Russian vengeance.

The Undertaking is, essentially, a character study and does well at picking out a sympathetic (if not entirely likeable) German man and woman to show us just how easily it might be to fall into the trap of autocratic ideology, and how life can appear normal even in abnormal times. For all its accomplishments, however, and for all my admiration for good fiction and craft, I struggle to see what this fictional character study could do better than a factual account from real people (of which there are plenty). That's not really a criticism, for it is a fine novel, but it does temper my enthusiasm. ( )