“Fatherland” by Robert Harris – Alternate World Mysteries

There are plenty of books out there which explore what the world would have been like had Hitler been successful in his endeavors during the Second World War.

Some of them weave together a narrative in which the world is explored in great detail, while others try to remain as down-to-Earth, factual and logical as possible, clearly describing possible scenarios which could have arose had things been different.

Fatherland by Robert Harris, however, takes a bit of a new direction, using such an alternate timeline as a setting for a murder mystery. In this story, we follow a detective of the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police), Xavier March, who is dragged into the case of a dead body washing up near one of Berlin’s most prestigious suburbs.

Contrary to first impressions, the case eventually turns out to be one of the grandest conspiracies of the century, and so Xavier is thrust into a race to reveal the truth before being killed, with his only ally being an American journalist.

So what is there to say about this novel? Well, the most notable part of it is undoubtedly the setting itself; there are very few, if any murder mysteries set in the alternate timeline where Hitler is victorious, and as such the environments, characters and details described feel newer and more original. In other words, setting-wise, this book is like a breath of fresh air.

Unfortunately, Harris doesn’t detail this world enough for my liking, perhaps under-developing it in comparison to what might have been. This is, I believe, due to the author wanting to focus more on the story and the mystery itself, rather than its surroundings. Nevertheless, it still manages to be something very different from what is most commonly found in today’s market.

As for the actual story itself, I have to admit that I was a bit underwhelmed, but perhaps my expectations were set a bit high. Apart from the fact that it takes place in a world where Hitler lives and is celebrated (at least to a certain extent), there aren’t many arguments to suggest that the novel is something ground-breaking.

The mystery unfolds in the way seasoned readers of the genre would expect it to, having clearly-delineated good guys, bad guys, a question and an ultimate solution.

Though there are certainly a few twists and turns, this book sticks to the basics and gives us a solid mystery within the confines of what is known to be successful in this genre.

I hope it doesn’t sound to you as if I am bashing the book or didn’t enjoy it. On the contrary, just because something isn’t revolutionary doesn’t mean it cannot be enjoyed for what it is: an entertaining read upon the end of which you will feel as if your time was well spent.

It’s just that I felt as if there was more potential to this book than what was realized… but what are we going to do? Nothing in this life is really perfect.

In any case, if you are looking for a solid murder mystery which offers a breath of fresh air without deviating from norms of the genre, then I believe you will thoroughly enjoy Fatherland, and perhaps even give it another read a few years down the line.

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Robert Dennis Harris Personal site Robert Harris is an English novelist who used to work as a journalist as well as a television reporter for the BBC. Though Harris began with works of non-fiction, he has branched off into historical fiction as well as contemporary history, with Fatherland being one of his most recognized novels.