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Bottom of the pile
17
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
28/100Critics
7/100Scholars
Author:
Rosemary Sullivan
Publisher:
Harper
Date:
January 18, 2022
Using new technology, recently discovered documents, and sophisticated investigative techniques, an international team led by an obsessed retired FBI agent has finally solved the mystery that has haunted generations since World War II: who betrayed Anne Frank and her familyâand why?
What The Reviewers Say
Sullivan writes with absolute dedication and precision, bringing a previously obscure suspect to the fore.
... intermittently gripping.
... a deep dive into life in the Netherlands in the grotesque and difficult year that was 1944. It describes the lives of occupiers and occupied, of perpetrators and victims, of collaborators and those who looked away. For this alone, Sullivan has made a significant contribution, even if the narrative only begins to draw the reader in late in the game, after a long haul through much introductory material, many characters who turn out to be insignificant, and a raft of theories that are raised, then knocked down.
Whatever the eventual verdict, it’s clear that Sullivan’s book struggles to find a form and style that serves her material. In particular she seems uncertain about how much prior knowledge she can assume in her readers, which means that two thirds of this book are spent rehashing the story of the Franks’ murder, and the postwar publication of Anne’s diary. Only once Sullivan moves on to actual 'persons of interest' does the narrative begin to pick up, even though here again much of this information has long been in the public domain.
