The Soul of a Thief by Steven Hartov; Hanover Square Press © 2018; ISBN 9781335-144577; 293 pages; $24.99.
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – War, sex, hidden identities, betrayal—you can find all these in this fast-moving novel.
Shtefan (as Stefan is pronounced) had a Jewish great-grandmother, enough for him to also be considered Jewish in the eyes of the murderous Third Reich. But he was recruited by an SS Colonel to work for him as an ever-so-loyal adjutant. Their unspoken agreement: the colonel would not reveal Shtefan’s identity to the Gestapo in return for Shtefan’s unquestioned service and loyalty.
Gabrielle, a beautiful French teenager left orphaned after the Gestapo learned her mother was a Jew and her father a member of the Resistance, was presented with a similar offer by the SS Colonel: She could either become his mistress or suffer the consequences.
So both Shtefan and Gabrielle were, in essence, slaves to Colonel Himmel, a ruthless man who would do anything to get his way. In this cauldron of danger, Shtefan and Gabrielle, realizing that they were caught in the same web, developed a romantic attraction for one another.
Lest you think that German soldiers—even those of the SS—are all portrayed as one dimensional villains, or heartless monsters, I must report that author Hartov paints a sympathetic portrait of the soldiers serving under Colonel Himmel’s command. Although they were not Jews in danger of summary execution, perhaps all of them had been forced by the Hitler machine to act against their will, and certainly against their better judgment.
Call it the Stockholm Syndrome, but Shtefan developed a certain grudging admiration for his colonel, who occasionally bestows upon him acts of kindness. Gabrielle, raped again and again, feels only hatred and loathing for him.
This book is fast moving and imaginative. Narrated in the first person by Shtefan, the tale sometimes reminded me of Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, in which an observant, but often powerless, captive describes in amazed detail the machinations of those who have him in their thrall.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com