Arena

Cricklade Book Club, June 2011 We were very impressed by the book. We felt that it was highly original in its format - the use of death as a narrator provoked different reactions but it brought out the point that whoever you were in life death becomes a great leveller. The story brought out strongly the predicament of poor German people from an early stage in the war with little food, limited work for older people, the threat of the war in Russia for younger men and then the bombing. The ability of the author to introduce humour into a subject, which can only be horrifying and depressing, was admired. The characters were believable and engaging - Hans and Rudy were particularly well drawn.