The Castle in the Forest

Now, I’m not a fan of Norman Mailer (the author) as a person and that turned me off to reading any of his books. At least until I heard about The Castle in the Forest. It intrigued me so much I was willing to set aside my prejudice about the author and pick it up.

That man can write! Well, no wonder, he’s won multiple awards—including the Pulitzer.

This is a book that is narrated by a Devil (there are apparently many, with Satan being the leader) about the life of a young Adolph Hitler and his growing up in Austria. In the story, Adolph is the spawn of an incestuous relationship between a civil servant and his niece. Apparently Satan loves a good incest baby (who doesn't?). They have potential.

This book doesn't go as far as Hitler's years in the military and later as the Fuhrer of Germany; it ends by the time Adi's (what Adolph is called by his family) a teenager.

There's a lot of narrative in this book, usually something I can't stand, but this time it works. It kept me interested. It's a bit like reading the diary of a devil. And that devil is writing it on the sly, hoping he doesn't get caught by Satan.