“They won’t take me alive. They’ve captured a thousand of us, but I won’t end up like a fallen autumn leaf.”
An aging war criminal lives with his daughter, who is torn between revulsion and the duty to care for him. He is convinced his only wrongdoing was defeat. They are dining in a mountain lodge in the Dolomites, when they find themselves at a table next to the narrator, who is working on a translation. When the war criminal sees the Hebrew characters and suddenly realizes that he is translating from Yiddish, panic sets in and a confession takes form. As the father explains the mysticism of the Cabala in a desperate bid to rationalize his downfall and justify his antisemitism, his daughter navigates the weight of inherited guilt and the paradox of filial love.
This story ventures into the complexities of identity, the haunting aftermath of war, and the intricate interplay of justice and vengeance. A gripping tale of moral ambiguity and the scars of history, it challenges readers to confront the enduring shadows cast by war and memory.
Rights sold
France (Gallimard)
Spain (Seix Barral/Bromera)
Sweden (Faethon)
