Low Price Every Man Dies Alone

Underappreciated and underrated 20th century author Hans Fallada apparently wrote this book in less than four weeks. A pretty amazing accomplishment given this novel's brilliance and lasting impact. In "Every Man Dies Alone", Fallada tells the story of Otto and Anna Quangel (based on the real life couple Otto and Elise Hampel) and their effort to resist the Nazis in wartime Germany. When notified their only son has been killed, Otto and Anna decide to fight the war machine by leaving anti-Nazi (and anti-Hitler) messages throughout Berlin. The Quangel's are relatively careful, but the reader knows how things are going to end (to a degree anyway). That foreknowledge almost adds to the suspense and Fallada's thoughtful and occasionally amusing prose make this a worthy read despite the subject matter.

It's heartwrenching and often difficult to read (particularly the conclusion), but the Quangel's resistence as well as that of a female postmaster and the difficult introspective ruminations of the lead inspector in the case make this a hopeful book in the sense that human beings can and do have the fortitude and strength to fight tyranny in its most heinous form. The book is far from a thriller and can read slow in parts, but Fallada's writing and subject matter are so gripping it's fairly easy to stick with it--and it's worth the effort. In fact, the last 150 pages are probably worth reading multiple times. It's great to see Fallada's fine book in print and "Every Man Dies Alone" is a highly recommended read.Get more detail about Every Man Dies Alone.