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The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler - 4* - My Review

Historical fiction and coming-of-age story set in Austria in the lead-up to World War II, this book tells the story of two years (1937-1938) in the life of Franz Huchel. At his mother’s request, seventeen-year-old Franz moves from his small rural town to Vienna to work at a tobacco shop owned by Otto Trsnyek. Otto is a WWI disabled veteran who owes his mother a favor. In Venna, Franz is exposed to the busy city life, falls in love with a mysterious young woman named Anezka, and befriends the elderly psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who is a regular customer at the shop. Through these relationships, Franz develops into an adult. He gradually gains perspective on love, individuality, and the political dangers of the time.

Imagine coming of age just before WWII, with the rise of Hitler and an increasingly violent society. When Franz first arrives in Vienna, he is naïve, unworldly, and unaware of politics. The tobacconist shop, which initially seems like a place of stability and wisdom, becomes the venue for Franz to witness conflicting acts related to ethics and power. Ordinary citizens, once uninterested in ideology, are forced to take sides or face dire consequences. Many characters in the novel attempt to remain neutral, but the author suggests that neutrality is not a sustainable position when facing fascism.

This is a different take on a World War II novel than most I have read. It focuses on the lives of ordinary people going about their daily activities. The tobacconist shop becomes a microcosm for society. Customers come and go, offering glimpses into people’s lives, from intellectuals like Freud to regular customers to the working class to party loyalists and Brownshirts.

Seethaler’s writing style is understated and elegant. The tone is melancholy. The novel’s structure is episodic, with Franz’s experiences in the tobacconist shop and his relationships with Otto, Anezka, and Freud forming the core of the narrative. The pacing is deliberate. The slow build-up mirrors reality, where life seems to go on normally until the reality of oppression becomes impossible to ignore. In today’s world, this book seems particularly relevant. I am sure it will linger in my thoughts.

PBT October BWF Extra Letter T and tagged "travel" x8