Jacob's Oath: A Novel

This book leaves one with a lot to think about. Is it moral to kill for revenge? Is breaking an oath ever acceptable? Is choosing life over death always the better choice? Can one ever really go back home? A book club selection, this book prompted a lot of discussion. Although a fast read, the book did needlessly ramble in places and had an ending that did not seem to fit with the rest of the book. A new character introduced in the last couple of pages brought up questions and concerns not dealt with in the book's conclusion. Without the new character the ending would have been very satisfying.

The book is fiction, but the author had done a lot of research in Germany in order to make the background to the novel authentic. The book begins in May 1945 after the surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allies. Germany is in chaos and many former SS soldiers were returning home. A mixture of US, British and Russian soldiers are in Germany ensuring order. In this chaotic situation are many refugees, including Jews, who were liberated from Bergen-Belsen and other concentration camps.Jacob Klein, a Jewish survivor of Bergen-Belsen, was discharged from hospital after undergoing treatment and was making his way to Heidelberg, his home town, in the hope of finding his home. He was also determined to find "The Rat" an SS Guard who had murdered his younger brother, Maxi. He was witness to the murder. He made an oath that he would kill The Rat as revenge for his brother's murder.The book relates his experiences in detail of his quest, including a love affair with Sarah Kaufmann, who had also been through hell escaping the Nazis. He met her in Heidelberg to which she had also returned. The Rat was also from Heidelberg. Both main characters went through hell during the Nazi occupation and survived their ordeal. They were the only Jews in Heidelberg at that time. Sarah spent three years hiding from the Nazis and was eventually raped by a Russian soldier.The book has everything in it to make it an engrossing and thrilling read. The love relationship between Jacob and Sarah is very dramatic. Both characters were scarred from the nightmare of their experiences. Jacob is determined to take revenge, while Sarah felt that he must try and put his vengeful feelings behind him and get on with their future together.Sarah had a lover before Jacob, His name was Hoppi and she had fallen pregnant and lost her baby. Hoppi had disappeared and his fate was unknown, presumably dead. She had visions of seeing her previous lover with whom she still felt very attached. This story makes for a gripping read from the beginning to end. The ending is very unexpected.This book deserves a 5-star rating and it is one of few novels written about the immediate post-World War 2 period in Germany.

As a second-generation Holocaust survivor, I often wonder about the resilience of those who survived and what it was like living through Hell and coming out the other end. Fletcher does a great job of portraying the nuanced impact of the Holocaust on its survivors through his genuine and multi-dimensional characters. A very good read.

I was enraptured by JACOB'S OATH from the first page to the last. It takes place at the very ending of World War II in Germany and the few months which follow. Jacob who is in his mid-twenties has nearly died many times in his concentration camp; he watches a sadistic camp guard kill his beloved younger brother and vows to find the man and kill him, setting out when liberated on the crowded roads towards Heidelberg. What a fascinating portrait of the rubble of a world, and the straggling people making their way towards their old homes! Sarah, also Jewish, has somehow come through the war in Berlin without incarceration, only to be brutally raped by a Russian soldier. She also sets out to Heidelberg against all hope to find her sweetheart who likely died in the camps. The two battered young people find each other and begin to make a life together, but Jacob is torn between his blossoming new love and his promise to avenge his brother, which will possibly end in his own death. In addition he is a man of peace and not a killer. The characters are faced with impossible choices and we never know which ones they will make until the last pages. I was moved to tears. Highly recommended!

As I was reading this book it felt more like nonfiction than fiction. I know many people who are "survivors" and have heard many similar stories so I felt like I knew what they were going through and how they were feeling. I think that Jacob's dilemma was not an uncommon one as he returned to post war Germany.The beginning of the book was very difficult to read because of the horrors depicted but it was well worth continuing until the end.

Fletcher tackles the age-old question--can you ever go home?--with remarkable literary dexterity. His tale of Jacob and Sarah, both Jews who have survived the Nazis, and their return to Heidelberg for very different reasons, provides the reader a challenge on many levels. Can and must evil be revenged? How binding is an oath made during extreme times? Is it possible, as Fletcher writes, to not, "think about what you are doing but what they have done"? How selfless is love? And, perhaps most important, what evils, losses and sadness are we able to accept, then move on with our lives?Jacob's Oath can be a "page turner" if allowed. But, it is best to slow down and savor the language and consider the history and depth of emotion for a truly spectacular reading experience.I highly recommend Jacob's Oath, Fletcher's fourth published book and second outstanding novel.Jim Loveridge

This is an incredibly well-written, lyrical, elegant, exciting, novel that is also thought provoking and made me think about the nature of revenge, love and what it does to us. The idea of of concentration camp survivor seeking revenge on a camp guard didn't attract me as I felt as if it was a story I'd heard before. However, I was wrong.The characterisation is rock-solid, and the novel is well-paced with a great balance between the tension of Jacob's quest to revenge his brother's death and the love dilemma. I raced towards the end desperate to find out what happens.I found the background of post-war survival, small victories and the green shoots of life growing out of terrible despair completely real. Only someone who has been in a war zone could capture the atmosphere with such skill. Only someone who's lived with the survivor questions and can access the complexity of emotions could express it so well. This is a hell of a book. I recently read Greene's The Third Man and Joseph Kanon's The Good German set in the same period and same part of the world. Much as I love The Third Man, I can't wait to re-read Jacob's Oath and also see what Fletcher writes next.

I haven't read the book so rating not applicable.I ordered it as a Christmas gift for a friend but it arrived damaged - the hard cover badly so.So I have got to keep it!