The Zone of Interest

2016 Longlist

There was an old story about a king who asked his favourite wizard to create a magic mirror. This mirror didn’t show you your reflection. Instead, it showed you your soul – it showed you who you really were. But the king couldn’t look into the mirror without turning away, and nor could his courtiers. No one could.

What happens when we discover who we really are? And how do we come to terms with it? Fearless and original, The Zone of Interest is a violently dark love story set against a backdrop of unadulterated evil, and a vivid journey into the depths and contradictions of the human soul.

(from publisher)

About the Author

Martin Amis is the author of twelve previous novels, the memoir Experience, two collections of stories and six collections of non-fiction, most recently The Second Plane. He lives in New York.

Librarian’s Comments

The story is about the mechinations of Auschwitz told from various standpoints. That of the camp commandant, that of a representative officer of IG Farben chemicals with Nazi connections, and also that of a Jewish prisoner. It’s a bureaucratic black comedy with numerous unpleasant and at times horrific edges. Enjoyable despite the gruesome subject.