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The Interpreter
In the heat of wartime Manila, 23-year-old American GI Kurt Berlin is recruited by the OSS to return to Europe to aid in the interrogation of captured Nazis. A refugee from the Nazis himself, Berlin discovers the Nazi he's interpreting is responsible for much of the torment and misery he endured during his escape. And that very same Nazi may hold the key to finding the girl he left behind. Will the gravitational pull of revenge dislodge his moral compass?
From the terror of pre-war Vienna to the chaos of occupied Brussels, through Nazi-occupied France, to the destruction of post-war Europe, The Interpreter follows Kurt's surreal escape and return. How much can a young mind absorb before it explodes?
From the terror of pre-war Vienna to the chaos of occupied Brussels, through Nazi-occupied France, to the destruction of post-war Europe, The Interpreter follows Kurt's surreal escape and return. How much can a young mind absorb before it explodes?
306 pages, Paperback
Published March 15, 2020
23 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Sidransky
7 books17 followersA.J. Sidransky writes about ordinary people faced with extraordinary situations and events. His work has been well-received by both readers and reviewers. Genres include mystery, thriller, and historical fiction. His writing has been described as a mystery wrapped in history and tied in a bow with a little romance. His works include Forgiving Maximo Rothman, Forgiving Stephen Redmond, Forgiving Mariela Camacho, and The Interpreter. Incident at San Miguel, a thriller set during the Cuban Revolution is his newest work and will be released on May 19, 2023.
His short stories have appeared in anthologies, magazines, and e-zines. La Libreta, (The Notebook) appeared in Small Axe Salon (online) and was the winner of the Institute of Caribbean Studies short story contest in 2014. Mother Knows Best, appeared in Noir Nation 5, an anthology. The Glint of Metal appeared in both Crime Café Short Story Anthology and Fictional Café Anthology. El Ladron (The Thief) was published by Rock and a Hard Place Magazine. The Just Men of Bennett Avenue was released in August 2022 in Jewish Noir II, an anthology of stories examining the intersection of noir and the Jewish experience.
A.J. Sidransky lives in upper Manhattan with his wife.
His short stories have appeared in anthologies, magazines, and e-zines. La Libreta, (The Notebook) appeared in Small Axe Salon (online) and was the winner of the Institute of Caribbean Studies short story contest in 2014. Mother Knows Best, appeared in Noir Nation 5, an anthology. The Glint of Metal appeared in both Crime Café Short Story Anthology and Fictional Café Anthology. El Ladron (The Thief) was published by Rock and a Hard Place Magazine. The Just Men of Bennett Avenue was released in August 2022 in Jewish Noir II, an anthology of stories examining the intersection of noir and the Jewish experience.
A.J. Sidransky lives in upper Manhattan with his wife.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 5, 2021
This is a brilliant piece of writing on a devastating subject.
The story is based on Kurt Berlin (somewhat based on the author’s relative of the same name). It takes us through Kurt and his parent’s flight from the Nazis through Belgium to the USA. It is a harrowing journey taking over two years and the terror they endured is palpable.
Once in the USA Kurt joined the US Armed forces and finds himself serving in Manila in 1945.
Due to his German language skills Kurt is recruited as an Interpreter and is sent to Brussels where captured SS officers are being interrogated.
It is hard enough for Kurt, a Jew, to have to listen to and interpret the Nazi officer’s nonchalant, almost bragging tales of the horrors he personally carried out – following orders of course.
Kurt is shocked to find that the US Government is actually seeking possible Nazi officers to be used for their own purposes in the US allowing said officers to escape punishment and enjoy new lives with new identities. While this program was meant to recruit scientist for their knowledge with the intent to use them against the Soviet Union the book “The Interpreter” takes us on a somewhat different thread producing an alarming story that quite takes the reader’s breath away.
The story is based on Kurt Berlin (somewhat based on the author’s relative of the same name). It takes us through Kurt and his parent’s flight from the Nazis through Belgium to the USA. It is a harrowing journey taking over two years and the terror they endured is palpable.
Once in the USA Kurt joined the US Armed forces and finds himself serving in Manila in 1945.
Due to his German language skills Kurt is recruited as an Interpreter and is sent to Brussels where captured SS officers are being interrogated.
It is hard enough for Kurt, a Jew, to have to listen to and interpret the Nazi officer’s nonchalant, almost bragging tales of the horrors he personally carried out – following orders of course.
Kurt is shocked to find that the US Government is actually seeking possible Nazi officers to be used for their own purposes in the US allowing said officers to escape punishment and enjoy new lives with new identities. While this program was meant to recruit scientist for their knowledge with the intent to use them against the Soviet Union the book “The Interpreter” takes us on a somewhat different thread producing an alarming story that quite takes the reader’s breath away.
October 20, 2021
Kurt Berlin, son of Hertz, has struggled alone after being sent away from Austria for his own protection as Jews are being widely persecuted. On one of the kindertransports to Belgium, he meets Elsa and they are rescued together by the Mandelbaums and fall in love. They are separated as Elsa finds solace in the Catholic Church when trouble comes. The story goes back and forth in time from early in WWII to post-war interrogations of Nazis, where Kurt is now an interpreter for the American army. He is tasked to interview a war criminal, who the OSS wants to recruit to spy on the Russians. Kurt slowly figures out that this criminal is responsible for much of his family's and his personal misery, and is aghast when he is asked to sanitize the records of the prisoner's testimony, eventually having to decide between his moral principles and his oath to serve.
July 23, 2020
A compelling, heart-wrenching portrait of courage, sacrifice and survival. Humanity's soul will be forever stained by the ugly stigma that allowed the Holocaust to take place. For the many who are no longer here, this story had to be told to keep their memories alive.
March 28, 2020
Living in Vienna, but born in Austrian Galicia, Hertz might be Polish or Austrian. And the difference could make all the difference to his chances of immigrating to the US. It’s a situation all too familiar to refugees today. But the backdrop is a little longer ago, World War II and the persecution of Jews, as vividly depicted in A.J. Sidransky’s novel, The Interpreter.
Kurt, son of Hertz, has struggled alone after being sent away from home for his own protection. He’s found family and friends in his foreign land… and love, but he doesn’t quite belong. Meanwhile Elsa has a secret that makes it even harder for her to fit into Viennese Jewish society. Love unites them. Life tears them apart, and tears Kurt’s heart. Later, when Kurt has joined the American army and begun to interpret for a German prisoner, he returns to their “home” and both Elsa and her secret prove hard to find.
Kurt’s job is to interpret words. His nature is to interpret actions. And his life is an interpretation of what those actions have wrought. In one awesome scene, a family wears the mask of the enemy, but who wears the enemy’s mask now, and who can he trust?
Trust of others, trust of self, and being true to oneself and to one’s past, all these come together in an evocative, heartbreaking novel, echoing the truth of a thousand stories, and reminding the reader, remembrance is more powerful and more empowering than forgetting. Let us remember, let us overcome, and let us move on.
Disclosure: I was given a prerelease copy and I freely offer my honest review.
Kurt, son of Hertz, has struggled alone after being sent away from home for his own protection. He’s found family and friends in his foreign land… and love, but he doesn’t quite belong. Meanwhile Elsa has a secret that makes it even harder for her to fit into Viennese Jewish society. Love unites them. Life tears them apart, and tears Kurt’s heart. Later, when Kurt has joined the American army and begun to interpret for a German prisoner, he returns to their “home” and both Elsa and her secret prove hard to find.
Kurt’s job is to interpret words. His nature is to interpret actions. And his life is an interpretation of what those actions have wrought. In one awesome scene, a family wears the mask of the enemy, but who wears the enemy’s mask now, and who can he trust?
Trust of others, trust of self, and being true to oneself and to one’s past, all these come together in an evocative, heartbreaking novel, echoing the truth of a thousand stories, and reminding the reader, remembrance is more powerful and more empowering than forgetting. Let us remember, let us overcome, and let us move on.
Disclosure: I was given a prerelease copy and I freely offer my honest review.
February 2, 2021
American GI Kurt Berlin finds himself being recruited by the OSS to serve as a translator in war-torn Europe, during the interrogations of captured Nazis. Through his work, Berlin discovers the Nazi responsible for his own persecution before he fled Europe as a refugee. He finds himself facing a moral dilemma as this man may hold the key to find the girl he left behind.
Sidransky crafts a brilliantly gripping story centered around an agonizing period in history. The story draws from the author’s own family experience and paints a very vivid picture of the antisemitic atmosphere of the time period. The story also examines the politics of the time, favoring expediency and appeasement, which led to one of the greatest tragedies the world has ever known.
True to Sidransky’s other works, the characters are well-developed and the story well researched. The transitions in time, as the story progresses, flow easily. I had a difficult time putting this one down.
Sidransky crafts a brilliantly gripping story centered around an agonizing period in history. The story draws from the author’s own family experience and paints a very vivid picture of the antisemitic atmosphere of the time period. The story also examines the politics of the time, favoring expediency and appeasement, which led to one of the greatest tragedies the world has ever known.
True to Sidransky’s other works, the characters are well-developed and the story well researched. The transitions in time, as the story progresses, flow easily. I had a difficult time putting this one down.
May 7, 2023
All of these kinds of stories amaze me. I realize the basis of the story is real and the way Mr Sidransky wrote it, makes it more real. These kinds of stories are always tough to tell and rationalizing helps make it palpable and readable.
October 1, 2020
A thrilling edge of your seat story trying to leave Nazi Austria, this family will do anything to get out. Years later, While their son is an interpreter for the U.S. army he uncovers the Monster Nazi who tricked his family and killed many many others.
May 19, 2021
Duncan Galloway, narration was brilliant. Each characters, love, strength, pain , sorrows was heard in his narration.
This book is set in a time of darkness of our modern history, but there is love, family, forgiveness and faith that is the true plot of thus amazing book.
Set in the time of the in invasion of Europe in the second World War. The horror that happened and a family's fight to stay together and fight back.
We meet Kurt Berlin who was sent as a youth in 1939 from Vienna to Brussels by his parents to save him from the Nazis. The story starts us meeting him in 1945, he is now an interpreter in the US army.
The plot has a dual stories happening between 1939 to 1945. We meet and care for these characters and you will be wanting to find out , who survived and found justice.
The heart of this is a love story. Dare you not to care.
Brilliant
This book is set in a time of darkness of our modern history, but there is love, family, forgiveness and faith that is the true plot of thus amazing book.
Set in the time of the in invasion of Europe in the second World War. The horror that happened and a family's fight to stay together and fight back.
We meet Kurt Berlin who was sent as a youth in 1939 from Vienna to Brussels by his parents to save him from the Nazis. The story starts us meeting him in 1945, he is now an interpreter in the US army.
The plot has a dual stories happening between 1939 to 1945. We meet and care for these characters and you will be wanting to find out , who survived and found justice.
The heart of this is a love story. Dare you not to care.
Brilliant
May 28, 2021
Viennese born American GI Kurt Berlin serves as a translator in Europe during the interrogations of captured Nazis. Berlin finds himself translating the interrogation of the Nazi responsible for his own persecution before he fled Europe as a refugee… the man who may hold the key to finding the girl Kurt left behind.
This is a twist from the Nazi stories we usually read and it gives us a unique perspective. We are introduced to the politics of the time and the shift in the loyalties of the US as the hot war with Germany morphs into the cold war with the Soviet Union.
The characters are well developed and three dimensional and the shifts as we go back and forth in time are smooth and easy to follow. Historical fiction at its best!
This is a twist from the Nazi stories we usually read and it gives us a unique perspective. We are introduced to the politics of the time and the shift in the loyalties of the US as the hot war with Germany morphs into the cold war with the Soviet Union.
The characters are well developed and three dimensional and the shifts as we go back and forth in time are smooth and easy to follow. Historical fiction at its best!
August 3, 2021
I listened to this book on Audible, and from the moment I started listening, I could not stop. THE INTERPRETER weaves together the tale of a family attempting to escape the Nazis during WWII, with that of a soldier who serves as an interpreter immediately after the war. Sidransky's characters are extremely compelling, and his writing, both suspenseful and beautiful. I was completely absorbed. This is not a story for the faint of heart. The horrors of war are depicted quite graphically. Sidransky has written a thrilling and heartbreaking tale, one that reminds us that evil does exist in this world, but so does beauty and love.
May 13, 2020
A.J. Sidransky takes us to a place that we feel uncomfortable visiting — Austria just before the outbreak of World War Two. Yet, through skillful plotting, believable characters, and a story with impact, we ride along with the protagonist and his family to a satisfying conclusion. Mixing time periods, and avoiding caricatures, he allows us to to think about the unthinkable, and, in doing so, we begin to understand the terror that refugees and stateless persons endure. And thereby gives us pause to consider the parallels with the plight of today’s refugees. Heartily recommended.
July 17, 2022
I really liked this book. The author writes well, and I was engaged from the beginning. A very good companion book to The Living and the Lost, by Ellen Feldman, dealing with the postwar occupation period. This one is about interviewing and whitewashing Nazis so they can help the US against Russia in the impending Cold War.
September 19, 2020
It never ceases to amaze me how many different and heroic stories emerged from the
holocaust. This is another based on fact that the author gleaned from his family’s
personal experiences. I highly recommend this book for yet another perspective from
this horrible episode in history.
holocaust. This is another based on fact that the author gleaned from his family’s
personal experiences. I highly recommend this book for yet another perspective from
this horrible episode in history.
March 17, 2022
I found the story so compelling and loved how the author seamlessly integrated the various subplots. It was easy to follow and I was so emotional throughout, especially with the ups and downs of Kurt looking for Elsa in the “present.”
March 18, 2020
A.J. Sidransky continues to amaze me on his historical fiction - writing and research. Highly recommend this good read - a real page turner.
November 2, 2020
Very very good book. Learned unpleasant things about our government post World War II. Great historical fiction novel.
August 9, 2021
great story, less great writing but quick read.
February 5, 2022
Based on two true stories, well done and very interesting- a different approach to a story about the Holocaust
June 5, 2022
3 1/2. This book posed a profound ethical dilemma- the responsibility to follow orders in a military setting vs seeking Justice at a primal level. It set it up well and introduced a cast of characters who each had a role. I have very much admired the 3 previous books but had more trouble with credibility in this one. The overlap of this sociopath snd true believer Nazi with every character made it seem like he was the only one around. Nonetheless the book created tension and while some was unbelievable it Dix create the drama and stress the author clearly desired
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews