In 1962, Emil Clement, a French Jew and chess champion now living in Israel, is a player at the World Chess Federation Interzonal tournament in Amsterdam. Emil is a survivor of Auschwitz and carries with him every day his belief that there are "no good Germans."
After his first game he is approached by a Catholic bishop who seems vaguely familiar. To his horror he realizes it is SS-Obersturmfuhrer Paul Meissner. He is immediately catapulted back to Auschwitz in spring 1944, a time he has struggled to forget.
Emil resists the overtures from Paul to meet and talk. He wants nothing to do with this man who was so instrumental in his imprisonment. But Paul is persistent and explains to Emil that all he wants is forgiveness. Imagine Emil's puzzlement when Paul explains that he doesn't want Emil's forgiveness but rather for Emil to forgive himself.
In Auschwitz, Paul was charged with improving the flagging morale of camp personnel. He organizes a chess club and tournament for Nazi officers. When word gets to him of a Jewish prisoner called "the Watchmaker" who is considered unbeatable at chess, he is instructed to demonstrate German superiority by pitting this Jew (Emil) against the best Nazi players. As the matches progress, the stakes are raised and a curious relationship develops between the two men.
This book came highly recommended to me by a patron. I was intimidated - at 376 pages and with small print it didn't seem like a book to dive into. But only a few pages in I was hooked and those 376 pages flew by. It is the story not only of the atrocities committed by man against man but also the story of surviving in an almost impossible situation. And ultimately it becomes the story of forgiveness (as Paul wanted) and finding a way to move forward in life.
I second the recommendation - this is a wonderful book.
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