Then

Morris Gleitzman (author)

Viking, Australia: 2009; 183pp

ISBN: 9780670072781

Genres: adventure, historical fiction, realistic fiction, war

Issues: family, friendship, forgiveness, loyalty, persecution, racism, values

CBCA Honour Book, 2009: Book of the Year, Younger Readers

Felix and Zelda have escaped a Nazi death train and are trying to find a way to survive in a country at war with its own people. Haunted by horrors they've seen, with fear as a constant companion, these two children search for an adult prepared to adopt and care for them. But the Nazis are everywhere and even children are not safe from their suspicions, anger and determination to enforce a new regime.

Gleitzman is best known for his humorous writing but even he cannot greatly lighten the dark reality of Nazi-occupied Poland. This sequel to Once shows the unforgiving brutality of a regime that expected the complete submission and obedience of all - even a six-year-old child. The greatest strength of this remarkable book is the portrayal of the complex nature of people and their motivations. Gleitzman shows the blindly prejudiced but also those who question their indoctrinated beliefs. He shows petty souls whose worst side emerges under the example of ‘legal' bullying - but also generous hearts who risk their lives to stand by their true values. Not all Germans are bad and not all Jews are innocent victims. Gleitzman shows the bitter, unrelenting truth of war - that it is a complex web of power, corruption, idiocy and hatred that comes about as a result of greed and unquestioning followers.

A cleverly crafted novel, Then is a powerful, compelling read, possibly more appropriate for older readers than its stated reading age. All will find it disturbing - and so we should. This dreadful episode in human history diminishes us all, as do similar, less publicized, events. Imaginative and sensitive child readers may find it haunting and distressing, so parents should keep an eye on their reactions. Gleitzman describes this novel as his imagination ‘trying to grasp the unimaginable.' Certainly this is a book that encourages the reader to think and question - to challenge certainties and stereotypes, to remember that those we dislike and fear are as human as those we love and trust.

It is, nevertheless, well worth reading.

Warnings: violence, murder of children, descriptions of hanged figures (including two major characters, one a child)