1940 [Paperback]

Jay Neugeboren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

"Jay Neugeboren traverses the Hitlerian tightrope with all the skill and formal daring that have made him one of the most honored writers of literary fiction and masterful nonfiction. This new book is, at once, a beautifully realized work of imagined history, a rich and varied character study and a subtly layered novel of ideas, all wrapped in a propulsively readable story. Neugeboren is marvelous. Part of the power of this intelligently and finely wrought novel is that... thoughts and questions arise unforced from the story, as though from life itself." —Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times

"Intelligent and absorbing... subtle and affecting." —Tova Reich, Washington Post

On the eve of World War II, Elisabeth Rofman returns to New York to discover her father has disappeared. She befriends Dr. Bloch—a fascinating historical figure, physician to the Hitler family when Hitler was young, and the only Jew for whom Hitler arranged departure from Europe. Dr. Bloch aids in the search, also hiding Elisabeth’s son, who has escaped from a Maryland institution.

Jay Neugeboren is the award-winning author of fourteen books.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Neugeboren's (The Stolen Jew) first novel in 20 years presents a fictional account of an obscure historical figure in this intelligent, densely layered novel. Dr. Eduard Bloch, an Austrian doctor who achieved notoriety for being Adolf Hitler's childhood physician, accepts favors granted to no other Jew and finds himself at the beginning of WWII living out his twilight years in the Bronx. Inspired by a visit from the striking Elisabeth Rofman, an inquisitive medical illustrator, Dr. Bloch decides to write his recollections of the Hitler family. He soon finds himself in the middle of a spat between Elisabeth and her pompous ex-husband over the proposed castration of Daniel, their institutionalized mentally ill son. In the midst of this dispute, Elisabeth's father disappears, and Daniel arrives at Dr. Bloch's apartment, seeking shelter. Through Dr. Bloch's diary entries, he charts the inevitable convergence of his romance with an increasingly unhinged Elisabeth, the unstable yearnings of Daniel and his own surreal remembrances of the teenage Hitler. Neugeboren's characters are nuanced and complex, especially the strong-willed Elisabeth. There are no shocking revelations, but the great characters and the author's thoughtful examination of good and evil pack a cerebral punch. (Apr.)
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About the Author

Jay Neugeboren is the author of fourteen books, including two prize-winning novels (The Stolen Jew, Before My Life Began), two award-winning books of non-fiction (Imagining Robert, Transforming Madness), and three collections of award-winning stories. He has won many honors, and is the only writer to have won six consecutive Syndicated Fiction Prizes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Two Dollar Radio (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976389568
• ISBN-13: 978-0976389569
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A complex and captivating story about loss, power, honor and hope, April 3, 2008

By 

Peter H. Schweitzer (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1940 (Paperback)

1940, first and foremost, is a beautifully crafted book. It captures a time-period and portrays a cast of characters with eloquence and realism. With varying tempos and scenes, it often feels fugue-like as its several parallel stories intertwine and play off each other, building to a crescendo at the end. Despite an aversion to the book's premise, or perhaps because of its taboo nature - does one really dare to humanize Hitler in a portrayal of his youth? - readers will be drawn in and challenged to travel along with its narrator (Dr. Bloch) and, ultimately, his creator, Jay Neugeboren, as they courageously face this topic and others without flinching. Can we say the same for ourselves?

Neugeboren has written a complex, deeply analytic book about memory, attachment and loss, about mental health and mental illness, about power and impotency, about honor and responsibility, and, ultimately, about hope. Most poignantly and not least of all, this is also a love story, written from the heart, between two separate souls, an older man and a younger woman, who discover a comfort, a connection, and a caring that will make them cherished soul-mates.

Rabbi Peter H. Schweitzer
The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism
New York City

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Still Waiting, August 15, 2008

By 

Cary B. Barad (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1940 (Paperback)

Several subplots of moderate interest are presented, but not enough emphasis is given to the most intriguing story behind the story--Dr. Bloch's realtionship with Adolf and the rest of the Hitler family in pre-World War II Germany. I see great potential in a fictionalized account of that realtionship. And I'm still searching for it.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Maybe It's Because I Don't Think in German, September 5, 2008

By 

Peggy Stone (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1940 (Paperback)

I had this on my library queue for months, and then found I could not make it more than halfway through the book before losing all patience with the bloodless characters and unconvincing dialogue, the over-analysis of every character's thought and movement, and its strained academic naval gazing. I could not believe that these characters were supposed to represent living, breathing people, as not one conversation had the cadences of normal human speech. Thoughts, conversations and narrative were equally loaded with dependent clauses and stultifying qualifications. There was no humor, no warmth and ultimately, no reason to continue reading as I absolutely didn't care what became of anyone.