Members' reactions to The Tattooist were mixed. Some liked and were impressed by the story while the book did nothing for others. In summary, the book tells the story of Slovakian Jew, Ludwig 'Lale' Eisenberg (later changed to Sokolov), who is transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942. He is given work by the Schutzstaffel (SS) as Tattooist where he meets the love of his life, Gita, when he tattoos her arm. Their relationship blooms over the next two and a half years under the most perilous circumstances but they eventually survive the camp to marry and start a business after the War. In his 80s, a world away in Melbourne, Lale tells his incredible true story of love and survival to writer, Heather Morris.
Members felt the book raised the question of what they would be prepared to do to survive in a concentration camp under the constant anxiety of being killed. It was clear to them that Lale, while portrayed as an intelligent, kind and charismatic figure, was spared by the SS because of his fluency in several languages including German and Russian, and was essentially a collaborator, even if it gave him privileges (mainly food) which he shared with other prisoners, and opportunities to work the system for their advantage as well as his own. Some members were disappointed with the writing and felt the author embroidered the facts told to her by Lale with additional rather unbelievable episodes for the sake of a good story. Certainly, reviewers have pointed out errors in the historical accuracy of some of the details in the book.
Discussion of the book at our meeting gave members the opportunity to relate the impact of visiting concentration camps and Jewish museums commemorating the shocking history of the Holocaust; to discuss the Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures; and to mention the work of Victor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and Austrian psychiatrist who wrote Man's Search for Meaning, expounding the importance of finding meaning in existence, no matter how brutal, as a reason to continue living.
Who is Heather Morris?
New Zealand born, Heather Morris now lives in Australia and works in a public hospital in Melbourne as a social worker. She studied and wrote screenplays for several years to some acclaim, before meeting Lale Sokolov in 2003, and being entrusted with his story. She originally wrote the story as a screenplay but was able to obtain resources through crowdfunding to write the book, her debut novel. It was published in 2018, more than 10 years after Lale's death.
Are you already in a bookclub?
You may feel that you cannot commit to another bookclub because you are already a member of one (or two!)
We’d still love you to join us just as a Newsletter subscriber. We’d love to hear what other bookclubs are reading and what you think are the pick of the titles that we must read!
In the same way, we hope you will take away from our reviews some pearlers to share with your regular club.
