I have read this book and I have deep regrets. It is simply an awful, horrific story. But it is written well, a virtuoso novel, even though the details are overwhelming with such an abundance of minutiae about WWII that I had a difficult time following the characters, who was who and whatnot. I read somewhere that the author, Jonathan Littell read (researched) over 200 books in 18 months before embarking upon this nearly 1,000 page novel; at one point it seemed as if Littell were more concerned with including every bit of that research into the book than with the story, which gets buried in all the historical references.

Eruditely and carefully as this book was written, it fails magnificently to bring true insight into the human psyche; even if it purports to explore all the great philosophers, musicians, leaders...the one who should have been most affected, the main character, seems to be an outside observer because he is too remote and uninvolved. One wonders if this book was an excuse to plunge into one's (the author's) sexual obsession, no holds barred - the idea that sexual depravity goes hand in hand with amoral violence is of course nothing new. But the disconnect between action and introspection about the moral consequences of exterminating an entire race of human beings is so nonchalantly treated that it's not only unsettling, but it feels manipulative and unrealistic. When the main character, Maximilian Aue, at the end goes insane and loses all touch with his feelings, recall and emotions, it's no surprise. What is the surprise is that at the beginning of the narration, he sounds perfectly rational, sane after having lived through WWII to tell about his experiences in retrospect - the only problem is that those experiences don't seem to belong to the narrator because he "delights" in recalling the most gruesome aspects of those experiences. The story would have been more convincing had Littell used Omniscient POV instead of 1st POV for the simple reason one cannot conveniently remember some details and not others. You'll understand why when you read this book for yourself. And I do recommend that you read it with a most critical eye.

Here is a fuller review on the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/06/AR2009030602860.html