An Untouched House, by Willem Frederik Hermans

When we read about history in non-fiction, especially in textbooks, we tend to read about the broad movements of armies. We read about regiments, battalions, and squads in combat and the statistical outcomes. What we don’t usually get is the sheer chaotic confusion of battle. In Willem Frederik Hermans’ An Untouched House (translated by David Colmer), we get not only the confusion but the absurdity of war. In this novel, an unnamed Dutch partisan gets separated from the rest of his group someone in Germany. He finds a house that has miraculously survived the destruction of the war and billets himself for a little peace and quiet. And then a squad of German soldiers show up.

Our unnamed protagonist has been at war for four years by the time we meet him in this very short novella. We don’t learn much about his background except that he’s Dutch and that he’s been with a motley international group of partisans for a while. In most books about World War II that I’ve read, lavish attention is spent on the heroes’ backgrounds and how they were harmed by the Nazis. There is none of that in An Untouched House. So instead of seeing the protagonist as an avenger or even clearly as a Good Guy, we can only focus on what’s happening on the page. It’s only historical context that lets us know who is on the right side.

After a brief firefight, in which our protagonist kills several German soldiers, he finds a large house that appears to be safe. Not only does the house not have any apparent damage, it’s full of food and clothing. Our pragmatic protagonist makes himself comfortable. He shaves and bathes for the first time in ages. He changes his clothes. He eats a good meal. Until the Germans show up, he’s in the pink, considering he’s in the middle of a war zone.

After the Germans show up, the protagonist has to run a merry dance to make sure the Germans don’t know who he is. It would be funny (and it kind of is) if there wasn’t so much at stake. Later, when the Germans clear out and the protagonist is discovered by another group of partisans, the tone is deadly serious once more. Our protagonist commits acts that require us to immediately reevaluate him as a sympathetic character. And then there is the stark difference between the behavior of the Germans and the partisans, like night and day. Where the Germans are courteous and follow rules, the partisans are rapacious boors.

This novella asks us to stop viewing history in the broad strokes we were taught. The Nazis are still the bad guys and the Allies and partisans are still the good guys. But things break down when we start to look at individuals. Of course, the German soldiers could’ve committed atrocities before they found the protagonist. They also think that the protagonist is a wealthy German, so they’re on their best behavior. The partisans may have done good deeds before they arrived at the house. An Untouched House is not apologia. I think it merely asks us to look back at history with a more granular eye.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.