Go into this great classic knowing as little as possible

This book! So good! I was pointed towards this book by the A Case for Books blog as one of her favorites of last year and I figured I’d give it a go. This novel is tiny, really it’s a short story, but it packs a huge punch. It kept me guessing the whole way through and I can’t stop thinking about it days later. It’s really, really worth seeking out (especially at that great price).

I won’t say too much about the plot because it would definitely take away from the experience of reading it, but I’ll share the setup for the story. It’s early 1930s and two men run a business together in San Francisco. They’re both German-Americans; One is Jewish and the other is not. The non-Jewish one has never really felt at home in America and decides to take his family back to Germany. This sets the stage for an epistolary tale told over several years between the two men.

The copy I got from my library had a lovely foreword by the author’s son, but DO NOT READ IT BEFORE reading the book. In my opinion it gives too much away and I was so glad I left it until after.