Aharon Appelfeld’s novels are excruciating to read,
and The Conversion is no
different. Once again Appelfeld returns
to the theme of Christianity, this time in the context of a spate of
conversions of prominent members of a provisional Austrian city between the wars. Karl converts after his parents die to
further his career, and the inevitable occurs: he is no longer accepted by the
Jewish community, and the motives of his conversion are viewed as suspect by Christians.
So, Karl wanders between worlds, feeling increasingly
alienating, drifting down the scales of Austrian society until he finds himself
at the inevitable point of his own destruction.
In my opinion, this happens a bit abruptly, and the end therefore has
the feeling that Appelfeld could have done more work, but found no other
solutions for the narrative problems he had created. In the end, he had to do it as he did, no
matter how unsatisfying.
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