Relief by Execution: A Visit to Mauthausen

by Gint Aras

Between the years of 1996-1999, Gint Aras lived a hapless bohemian’s life in Linz, Austria. Decades later, a random conversation with a Polish immigrant in a Chicago coffeehouse provokes a why didn’t Aras ever visit Mauthausen, or any of the other holocaust sites close to his former home? The answer compels him to visit the concentration camp in the winter of 2017, bringing with him the baggage of a childhood shaped by his family of Lithuanian WWII refugees. The result is this meditative inquiry, at once lyrical and piercing, on the nature of ethnic identity, the constructs of race and nation, and the lasting consequences of collective trauma.

Genres: Memoir, History, Holocaust

94 pages, Paperback

Published October 8, 2019

Reviews

[Lori]

A raw, riveting, relentless account of surviving abuse, the fear of losing who you are, and the journey to reclaim your identity. It's a must read and I've got digital arcs for those interested in reviewing the book or interviewing the author.

[Ben]

A gut punch of a rumination on the legazcies of violence, racism and xenophobia we, some, many of us, grow-up with and that we, some, many of us seek to grow out of.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot to say in praise of this (short) non-fiction book but the abbreviated version is read it. A hugely important message and a reminder of the things we need to promote in this divisive epoch.

Here's an update, the review I wrote for Untoward: https://untowardmag.com/relief-by-exe...

[Hobart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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This is a short book (long essay), that to really get into would render the reading of the content pointless, so I've got to hold back some of what I want to say. The official blurb is a good starting point for a few thoughts I have in reaction to this essay:

Between the years of 1996-1999, Gint Aras lived a hapless bohemian’s life in Linz, Austria. Decades later, a random conversation with a Polish immigrant in a Chicago coffeehouse provokes a question: why didn’t Aras ever visit Mauthausen, or any of the other holocaust sites close to his former home? The answer compels him to visit the concentration camp in the winter of 2017, bringing with him the baggage of a childhood shaped by his family of Lithuanian WWII refugees.

Thus far, I'm on board with it—Aras blends recollections of the visit with glimpses of his past—the racism, the abuse, the ways of thinking that he was raised in, and then applying that to American society. I think this is a solid idea, but not terribly uncommon. What makes this better is the perspective Aras brings to it. Rather than identifying with the inmates, the victims of the holocaust; he puts himself in the shoes of the guards, of the soldiers carrying out the orders that those of us separated by a distance of miles, years and context can't imagine.

Or, as the blurb concludes:

The result is this meditative inquiry, at once lyrical and piercing, on the nature of ethnic identity, the constructs of race and nation, and the lasting consequences of collective trauma.

It's this part that I found wanting. The length of this essay didn't work for me -- Aras either spent too much time on things he didn't properly develop, or he spent too much time talking about things that didn't add enough value to the essay. Either fully developing things—which would probably take another 50 or so pages (just a guess)—or trimming about half the length to give a tighter, more controlled argument would have made this a stronger piece of writing.

I enjoyed the writing generally, but too often (not really frequently, but not rarely enough) his writing got in the way of what he was trying to do. His style was too elaborate, his vocabulary obfuscated, and he just got in his own way.

Lastly, I think the essay would've been better served with more about his actual time in Mauthausen.

In summary, I think this is a great concept, but I couldn't get behind the execution—often overwritten, and either too short or too long. Still, this is worth your time. You'll end up thinking about things in a different way, which is always beneficial. It's a short read. It's a compelling read. Sure, it's a problematic read—but the positives outweigh that.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from the author via Lori @ TNBBC Publicity in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

[Jaclyn Eccesso]

Gint Aras’ newest release, Relief by Execution, is an essay about cultural community, universal calamity, and the power of transformation.

Aras begins his long-form essay with an introduction to himself: the son of Lithuanian refugees living in a segregated neighborhood in Chicago. We learn of the unsurprising racism in Aras’ neighborhood and his family’s equally racist attitudes. We learn of Aras’ own brushes with brutality by the hands of his father, and we learn that Aras is interested in the complicated relationship between Christian and Jewish Lithuanians.’

At first the story seems jumbled, a mix of interesting and horrifying events that don’t quite piece together. That is until, Aras embarks on his own adventure to his homeland and feels at odds with visiting the concentration camps in Europe, but why? Aras admits that it’s not because he’s afraid of being emotionally affected by the atrocities committed against humanity; instead, he’s afraid of being excited by them. His family’s racist past, his own firsthand experiences with abuse, and eventually his post-traumatic stress disorder involving those experiences haunts him into believing he might be as bad as those he judges from afar.

Aras’ story is one of healing and acceptance but not of giving in, of forgiving, or of letting go. Aras’ does none of those things as he draws the story full circle from the Holocaust to his own experiences. Instead, he provides an inspiring reinterpretation of what it means to be both a victim and an abuser. The issues of nature versus nurture battle hard in Relief by Executionas Aras’ struggles with both pulls. Is it his nature to feel violent and maladaptive thoughts, or was it his upbringing that instilled these values?

A beautifully crafted and poetic essay that deals with multiple big-ticket issues in a cohesive and fluent way, Gint Aras’ Relief by Execution is a pocket-sized must-read.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was given to me in return for a fair and honest review of the text.

[Moss Kaplan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this beautifully written short book it one sitting, and when I was done, I was astonished by its unflinching honesty. It’s a fist to the gut and shies away from nothing: racism, family violence, the complex and troubled legacies we inherit from our ancestors. Aras is seeking the truth about both himself and our collective responsibility to each other. I deeply admire Aras for writing this. Hardly anyone is this brave.

[Anth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mix of random stories and events that don’t seem to piece together at first. Stick with it.

Aras brings together his families racist past, the holocaust and his own stories of abuse.