Stephanie Jane reviewed Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes
Initially amusing, but the joke peters out
3 stars
I remember seeing Look Who's Back's distinctive cover art everywhere on its publication a few years ago so deliberately avoided reading the book then as I didn't want to go into it on a wave of hype and then feel let down by the reality. As it turned out, while I was entertained by Look Who's Back, I was still a bit disappointed by this novel.
On a positive note, Timur Vermes starts out with a great premise and the early chapters, in which a newly resurrected Hitler is trying to recognise 1940s Berlin in its present day counterpart, are deftly portrayed. There's plenty of insightful social commentary too with amusing moments from time to time, however overall I thought that Look Who's Back never quite lived up to its potential. I didn't feel the writing lived up to all the quoted claims of total hilarity either. I sometimes wondered …
I remember seeing Look Who's Back's distinctive cover art everywhere on its publication a few years ago so deliberately avoided reading the book then as I didn't want to go into it on a wave of hype and then feel let down by the reality. As it turned out, while I was entertained by Look Who's Back, I was still a bit disappointed by this novel.
On a positive note, Timur Vermes starts out with a great premise and the early chapters, in which a newly resurrected Hitler is trying to recognise 1940s Berlin in its present day counterpart, are deftly portrayed. There's plenty of insightful social commentary too with amusing moments from time to time, however overall I thought that Look Who's Back never quite lived up to its potential. I didn't feel the writing lived up to all the quoted claims of total hilarity either. I sometimes wondered if I was even reading the same book as those reviewers.
The central joke of Hitler trying to navigate the modern world, with all his misunderstandings and misinterpretations, is initially funny, but for me it soon got tired and I didn't feel there was enough of an underlying narrative to then prevent the book's energy from flagging. It is a shame as I thought the basic idea was inspired. Look Who's Back agreeably passed a couple of days for me, but I expected a more profound reading experience and for Look Who's Back to actually reach a strong conclusion. Instead it dwindled and then petered out without me really understanding what I was supposed to take away from this novel.