Play Book Tag discussion

This story takes place in 1962 in a conquered America that has been divided into the Greater Nazi Reich, from the Atlantic to the Rockies, and the Japanese Pacific States, on the Pacific Coast. Hitler is still alive, living in a care facility and suffering with dementia. But don't worry, there are plenty of other really bad guys walking around, making horrifying decisions.

The story is told through the experiences of various characters living under totalitarian rule in the occupied territories. Antiques dealer, Robert Childan, hates the Japanese but depends on them for his business. Frank Frink’s (formerly Fink) struggles to keep his Jewish identity a secret to avoid Nazi extermination. His ex-wife, Juliana, makes a connection with a mysterious truck driver, Joe. Juliana and Joe want to make their way to see the the “Man in the High Castle” Hawthorne Abendsen, who wrote a book called The Grasshopper Lies Heavy. It documents an alternate history in which the Allies, not the Axis, won WWII. The book is considered treasonous and anyone found with a copy is sentenced to death.

I found this book interesting but very slow. There was a disjointed flow and with so many characters, I found myself going back several times because I was confused. I wanted to read the book after seeing the TV series and I'm glad I did. The book and the series are miles apart. Other than the same general concept and a couple of the characters, The Man in the High Castle novel and series have only about ten percent in common, including who the Man in the High Castle is! This is one of the few cases where I enjoyed the TV series much more than the book.