Play Book Tag discussion

This book is fictional but based on the life of GW Pabst, an Austrian born movie director. In 1934, he emigrated to the US but was not successful in Hollywood. He returned to Austria to visit his mother when Hitler invaded Poland and he was unable to leave. He then began to make movies for the Reich under the watchful eye of Goebbels. The book chronicles these events and presents a fictional account of how Pabst might have made films while trying to balance his artistry, his morality, and his survival as well as that of his wife and son.
The book is a bit jumpy. Various chapters present the point of view of other characters, including his wife and son. Pabst interacts with other artists dealing with the same dilemmas or Nazis with significant power. His interactions with Leni Riefenstahl are especially over the top and quite fascinating. Another chapter features an English writer who is essentially a prisoner of the Nazis. I had to do some research to figure out that he is PG Wodehouse.
The story is bookended by chapters featuring Pabst’s assistant, Franz (fictional) who is an old man living in a nursing home with his fading memory of the last movie he made with Pabst. Even his fading memory cannot protect him from the evil he witnessed.
The book presents extremes, putting the horrors of the Nazi regime into this fictional account. A few of these scenes were quite shocking but very effective in provoking strong responses. I am giving the book 5 stars because I know I will be thinking about it for a long time.
The book is translated to English from German.

I have this book on my TBR. Glad to see your positive review, Shelly!