The Unsentimental Novel: The Undertaking

The Undertaking is Audrey Magee’s debut novel and if I could say one thing about it, is that Magee sure knows how to make a debut. In overview, the novel is terrifyingly unsentimental. At first glance, the novel appears to be an excruciatingly sappy romance story caught up in the midst of World War II. While the first couple of chapters are suggestive of this plotline, it is far from the truth. Although there is a persistent tinge of romance throughout its entirety, The Undertaking is more a tale of the effects of war on relationships and perhaps more importantly, on the individual self.

This story follows a young German soldier, Peter, as he gets married by proxy to Katherina. The couple meets for the first time when Peter is granted leave for “honeymoon.” The two essentially fall in love. I say essentially because their love is not particularly ordinary. Peter spends his days literally kicking Jewish women, children, and the elderly out of their homes and ending his day by having sex with Katherina. While there seems to be a lot of passion between the two, both lack sympathy leading me to question the strength of their “love.” There is, of course, much more that transpires after Peter is sent back to fight at the front. Katherina finds out that she is pregnant, she and her family move into a high-class apartment that a Jewish family occupied before, Peter attempts to stay sane, and much, much more.

This novel is filled with things to write about, all of which I cannot include in this brief overview. Two things I found particularly interesting, however, is the concept of Russian slaves and the novel’s strong emphasis on hair. Either, I believe would make for a fascinating analysis. If you are looking for a novel that has a happily ever after I recommend skipping this book. As the title here indicates, this is an unsympathetic novel, a novel that I, in fact, believe closely resembles a naturalist work. So, if you loathed Ethan Frome you will loathe this as well. That being said, Audrey Magee’s debut novel is wow. She makes a successful debut novel seem easily achievable. Her novel makes it evident that she is an author of remarkable talent and surely one to keep an eye on. I know I will be.