Love Marriage by Monica Ali: a book that ‘dares to be deliberately funny’
Ali’s first novel in 11 years is an ‘atmospheric tale of an Indian family in contemporary Britain’
We all know Anne Frank’s story, but one question has long “tormented historians”, said Saul David in The Daily Telegraph. Who, in August 1944, tipped off the SS that the Frank family were hiding in a warehouse complex in central Amsterdam?
In 2016 the Dutch film-maker Thijs Bayens and the journalist Pieter van Twisk embarked on a fresh attempt to solve the mystery. They assembled a 22-person “Cold Case Team”, led by former FBI special agent Vince Pankoke, and re-examined all the evidence using modern forensic techniques.
Their efforts led them to Arnold van den Bergh, a wealthy Jewish notary and a member of Amsterdam’s Jewish Council, a body that collaborated with the Nazis. The team discovered that Van den Bergh may well have had access to a list of more than 500 addresses of Jews in hiding.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Their “compelling” case is that he traded this information to secure his own family’s safety. Commissioned to write an account of the investigation, Rosemary Sullivan, a Canadian biographer, has produced a “stunning piece of historical detective work, cleverly structured and grippingly written”.
The book has had a mixed reception, said Gerard DeGroot in The Times. The team’s methodology has been questioned – leading the book’s Dutch publisher to suspend a new print pending further inquiries. And some have seemed unwilling to accept its conclusion, “that a Jew might have betrayed another Jew”.
Still, this shouldn’t detract from what is “praiseworthy” about the book itself. “With impressive clarity and dramatic effect, Sullivan reconstructs a complex investigation.” And ultimately, if the team’s conclusions remain open to question, that also reflects an important truth – that in those dire circumstances, “almost anyone could have betrayed the Frank family”.
William Collins 336pp £20; The Week Bookshop £15.99
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week Bookshop
To order this title or any other book in print, visit theweekbookshop.co.uk, or speak to a bookseller on 020-3176 3835. Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am-5.30pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
-
Political cartoons for October 26Cartoons Sunday’s editorial cartoons include Young Republicans group chat, Louvre robbery, and more
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
6 well-crafted log homesFeature Featuring a floor-to-ceiling rock fireplace in Montana and a Tulikivi stove in New York
-
Film reviews: A House of Dynamite, After the Hunt, and It Was Just an AccidentFeature A nuclear missile bears down on a U.S. city, a sexual misconduct allegation rocks an elite university campus, and a victim of government terror pursues vengeance
-
Book reviews: ‘Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife’ and ‘Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong With Baseball and How to Fix It’Feature Gertrude Stein’s untold story and Jane Leavy’s playbook on how to save baseball
-
Rachel Ruysch: Nature Into ArtFeature Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, through Dec. 7
-
Music reviews: Olivia Dean, Madi Diaz, and Hannah FrancesFeature “The Art of Loving,” “Fatal Optimist,” and “Nested in Tangles”
-
Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
-
Ready for the apocalypseFeature As anxiety rises about the state of the world, the ranks of preppers are growing—and changing.