A Novel Look At... Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes

My God, when it came to picking an idea for his first novel, German writer Timur Vermes went all out by choosing to resurrect Adolf Hitler and sticking him in modern day Germany. But you know what, being controversial gets you attention and Look Who’s Back definitely got the satirist some attention (and a few lovely book sales too, I imagine).

            We begin with Hitler waking up in the middle of an undeveloped plot of land where presumably his bunker once stood. He is dazed and confused about where he is and how he got there and so he dusts himself off in search for answers. But Hitler is horrified at what his beloved Motherland has become in his absence and vows to restore Germany back to its former glory.

            Look Who’s Back takes a very daring approach to mocking our modern love-affair with celebrity culture by presenting global supervillain Hitler as a hit on the internet and German TV. Vermes did a very good job of undercutting Hitler’s views on present Germany by having the other characters really believe that Hitler is actually just a very convincing method actor. The whole thing is funny because the people are so against Hitler’s ideology but they want to spread the message as far as they can for internet hits and TV ratings.

            The novel is a very interesting read, especially for a fan of History such as me. However, there are so many references to historical German figures that it is impossible to know who they all are and what role they played and that goes for double if you live outside of Germany. There is a handy guide written by the novel’s translator, Jamie Bulloch, which explains everything a non-History buff would need to know but having to flick through to the end of the book to improve the context isn’t exactly ideal.

            Overall, Look Who’s Back provides an eye-opening view on the world we live in where ratings mean everything. I wouldn’t recommend this novel to many people though. Entertaining as it was, reading it becomes effort if you want to understand it fully and likewise, you can get a little lost if you choose to ignore the translator’s guide. But if you like History and mocking celebrity culture, this is definitely the book for you.