The Search for M

by Doron Rabinovici, Francis Michael Sharp

The plot of 'The Search for M' revolves around the lives in contemporary Vienna of two generations of European Jews, the survivors of the Holocaust and their children. Members of the first generation of survivors, their own sense of identity severely undermined by history, are capable of passing on to their offspring only a very fragile sense of worth and belonging. The lives of two main characters of the second generation illustrate the result of this legacy. Dani Morgenthau's sense of self boundaries is so weak that he suffers as an adult from a pathological compulsion to claim the guilt of criminals. Arieh Arthur Bein exploits a similar psychological defect in his work as an agent for the Israeli secret service. With only the barest of evidence to go on, he seeks out and exposes enemies of the Israeli state, setting them up for the assassin's bullet. The novel reaches for at least a tentative resolution when the lives of these two figures intersect.

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Audrey Blandford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for my Austrian Literature course. Absolutely loved the magical realism and the characters. Revealed a lot about the Austrian culture post WWII and the generational tradition of silence of Holocaust survivors and their families. Some chapters were brutal (Keysser especially). I was captivated by every chapter and how the characters connected with each other. The theme of identity owns this book and it was an incredible read. So grateful I took this class and got to discuss it for a month.

[Fabienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it in english, unfortunately, but I definitely plan to get my hands on the original german version very soon.
I will not attempt to describe this novel here. Just a few words:

It is about how the past is silenced by Holocaust-Survivors and how this leads to a crisis in identity with the sons of the families.
It is about father-son relationships.
Names get changed an awful lot.
There is "Mullemann", wrapped in bandages, looking like a mummy, confessing crimes he did not commit.

Oh and yes, it contains references to the brillant movie by Fritz Lang (it is on youtube).