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Hitler's Tractor
If we must look for demons in our lives, we may also try to destroy them before we die. In James Twining’s life the demon of his declining memory, like Don Quixote’s windmill, is a tractor. Forged in Germany, the machine came to be known as Hitler’s tractor – it ploughed, sowed and reaped. But did Hitler’s tractor have a sinister purpose?
This is a story that takes the reader through chapters in the lifetime of one man – childhood, adolescence, a professional life and finally old age when he struggles to remember.
It tells of hardship farming in 1930s Australia, the confusion of a boy’s conflict with a teacher traumatised by war, his artistic mother’s battle against the unforgiving land, a father who dreams of something better, and a marriage under strain.
But glowering over an apparently simple tale is the ‘evil one’ – the German tractor that seems to have an unimaginably dangerous machine-like power over those who would dare to stoke its fire and tame its strength.
Character rich and sweeping from the Depression years to the Australia of today, Hitler’s Tractor speaks to the strength of human spirit when faced by adversity – drought, flood, cruel fate and the futility of revenge. It is a poignant, beguiling and exquisitely told Australian story.
This is a story that takes the reader through chapters in the lifetime of one man – childhood, adolescence, a professional life and finally old age when he struggles to remember.
It tells of hardship farming in 1930s Australia, the confusion of a boy’s conflict with a teacher traumatised by war, his artistic mother’s battle against the unforgiving land, a father who dreams of something better, and a marriage under strain.
But glowering over an apparently simple tale is the ‘evil one’ – the German tractor that seems to have an unimaginably dangerous machine-like power over those who would dare to stoke its fire and tame its strength.
Character rich and sweeping from the Depression years to the Australia of today, Hitler’s Tractor speaks to the strength of human spirit when faced by adversity – drought, flood, cruel fate and the futility of revenge. It is a poignant, beguiling and exquisitely told Australian story.
218 pages, Paperback
Published May 3, 2023
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 23, 2023
This is the first time I’ve read a book featuring a tractor as the villain. Hitler’s Tractor follows widower, James Twining, on a journey through time. Diagnosed with dementia, he embarks on a trip to visit the past and help jog his memory before it’s too late.
The journey takes him back to a childhood in the country, set to the backdrop of 1930s and 40s Australia. Jan’s words transported me there. He has a beautiful way of describing the landscape.
“The skeletal roots of the eroded gum trees were like the ruins and rigging of an abandoned galleon.”
The German-made tractor is a complex, well-developed character - its mere presence creates an ominous feel.
“I think of it as a monster, something like a smoking dragon, but today I see it just as a tractor, quiet, but somehow angry because people will think it’s asleep.”
Even though the protagonist of James is somewhat difficult to like, you can’t help but feel for him. Other characters include Meg, who I thought had a bit of ‘Mackie’ about her, from the author’s non-fiction book, Mackie and Jack. Franz Rowland, a teacher left broken with PTSD, was an intriguing man I hoped would feature more.
“His hands often shake, except when they touch the piano keys. When he plays, his hands are calm, as though the music calms them.”
I enjoyed seeing WWII Australia through the eyes of a child. It felt authentic. This combination of innocence and war, was the most effective I’d read since The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Unfortunately, I had difficulty connecting with talk of mechanics and farming practices. Certain leaps from past to present were also jarring, but these helped show the declining mind of the main character. It succeeds at planting the reader in the shoes of someone with dementia, wrestling with memories of the past as they collide with present.
Hitler’s Tractor is a unique, sweeping tale - albeit a sad one. It touches on family, identity and the lives we lead. It’s as much about our relationship with the land, as it is with others and versions of ourselves. It’s hard not to reflect on your own life journey - the people, places and objects that have shaped you.
“The truly big things in life are done by humble people who in spite of doubt and fear, achieve a kind of greatness they never had the gift for.”
Many thanks to Big Sky Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The journey takes him back to a childhood in the country, set to the backdrop of 1930s and 40s Australia. Jan’s words transported me there. He has a beautiful way of describing the landscape.
“The skeletal roots of the eroded gum trees were like the ruins and rigging of an abandoned galleon.”
The German-made tractor is a complex, well-developed character - its mere presence creates an ominous feel.
“I think of it as a monster, something like a smoking dragon, but today I see it just as a tractor, quiet, but somehow angry because people will think it’s asleep.”
Even though the protagonist of James is somewhat difficult to like, you can’t help but feel for him. Other characters include Meg, who I thought had a bit of ‘Mackie’ about her, from the author’s non-fiction book, Mackie and Jack. Franz Rowland, a teacher left broken with PTSD, was an intriguing man I hoped would feature more.
“His hands often shake, except when they touch the piano keys. When he plays, his hands are calm, as though the music calms them.”
I enjoyed seeing WWII Australia through the eyes of a child. It felt authentic. This combination of innocence and war, was the most effective I’d read since The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Unfortunately, I had difficulty connecting with talk of mechanics and farming practices. Certain leaps from past to present were also jarring, but these helped show the declining mind of the main character. It succeeds at planting the reader in the shoes of someone with dementia, wrestling with memories of the past as they collide with present.
Hitler’s Tractor is a unique, sweeping tale - albeit a sad one. It touches on family, identity and the lives we lead. It’s as much about our relationship with the land, as it is with others and versions of ourselves. It’s hard not to reflect on your own life journey - the people, places and objects that have shaped you.
“The truly big things in life are done by humble people who in spite of doubt and fear, achieve a kind of greatness they never had the gift for.”
Many thanks to Big Sky Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 2, 2025
Not really my kind of book but did persevere and finished reading it, still not overly sure what it was about, I'm sure some people would enjoy it and understand it in a way I couldn't
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews