HHhH

By: Laurent Binet

Narrated by: John Lee

HHhH: "Himmlers Hirn heisst Heydrich," or "Himmler's brain is called Heydrich." The most dangerous man in Hitler's cabinet, Reinhard Heydrich was known as the "Butcher of Prague." He was feared by all and loathed by most. With his cold Aryan features and implacable cruelty, Heydrich seemed indestructible - until two men, a Slovak and a Czech recruited by the British secret service - killed him in broad daylight on a bustling street in Prague, and thus changed the course of History.

Who were these men, arguably two of the most discreet heroes of the twentieth century? In Laurent Binet's captivating debut novel, we follow Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubiš from their dramatic escape of Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to England; from their recruitment to their harrowing parachute drop into a war zone, from their stealth attack on Heydrich's car to their own brutal death in the basement of a Prague church.

A seemingly effortlessly blend of historical truth, personal memory, and Laurent Binet's remarkable imagination, HHhH- an international best seller and winner of the prestigious Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman - is a work at once thrilling and intellectually engrossing, a fast-paced novel of the Second World War that is also a profound meditation on the nature of writing and the debt we owe to history.

©2009 Editions Grasset et Fasquelle. Translation from the French copyright 2012 by Sam Taylor (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This fluid translation by Taylor is a superb choice for lovers of historical literary works and even international thrillers. Most highly recommended." ( Library Journal)

“Captivating . . . [ HHhH] has a vitality very different from that of most historical fiction.” ( The New Yorker)

“[ HHhH is] a marvelous, charming, engaging novel.” ( Los Angeles Times)

The Blond Beast

Any additional comments?

I really liked this audiobook. I thought the narrator and the material were a great fit and I thought the story was told in an interesting fashion. Prior to listening to this audiobook I had never even heard of Reinhard Heydrich, or if I had I certainly didn’t remember him. After listening, I clearly understood how great of a role he played within the Nazi regime. There are also a number of interesting side-stories that Binet recounts that don’t directly relate to Heydrich’s tale but took place during the time and work well with the story – giving it a richer texture. It’s not a surprise that HHhH won the Prix Goncourt and garnered so much high praise from reviewers. It’s entertaining, informative, and well written/translated.

CIRCLES OF HELL

Judging from Laurent Binet’s “HHhH”, Hitler may be the only WWII leader who earns a lower place in Dante’s circles of hell than Reinhard Heydrich. Except for those steeped in history, the name Reinhard Heydrich does not resonate like Eichmann, Goebbels, Himmler, and Hitler. Heydrich is Hitler’s action-man, an organizer and perpetrator of the “final solution” that exemplifies the world’s shame.

Heydrich is called the “blond beast”, an image suggesting a golden-haired Teutonic giant wielding a canister of Zyklon B in one hand and a German Luger in the other. When looking at a picture of Heydrich, the image seems in error. Pictures of Heydrich show a man who is far from handsome with a receding hairline, enormous nose, and tiredly furtive eyes. Heydrich’s tight lipped, unsmiling, and elongated face is menacing. He looks like a stern father or teacher; capable of whipping or smacking knuckles of a child with a leather belt or an 18” ruler. Based on Binet’s “HHhH”, Heydrich is considerably worse than a stern father or teacher. Heydrich is a mass murderer with an education equal to Leopold and Loeb, a murdering mentality rivaling Pol Pot, and a policy instinct reminiscent of Joseph Stalin.

The denouement of Binet’s book is the attempted assassination of Heydrich by two Czechoslovakian patriots, Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis. These two men, one is Czech and the other Slovak, know they are unlikely to survive the attempt but become symbols of allied resistance to German occupation. An interesting aspect of this novel, other than its factual reporting, is Binet’s first person narration that is concerned with history’s fictionalization. It is a panegyric on the impossibility of truly writing an accurate history of historical events.

In the end, Binet’s factual veracity seems better than average but he acknowledges his story is, after all, a historical novel, a fictionalized presentation of actual events. In spite of history’s reporting limitations, a listener will know a lot more about Reinhard Heydrich after reading or listening to “HHhH”.

All around exceptional book and performance

This book is fantastic, the narrator completely nails the tone of the writing, and the story itself is incredible. I listened to the last 6 or so hours on a rainy Sunday, I was completely gripped. Highly recommended.

Twists of time and perception

Perhaps you have heard of Laurent Binet, the virtuoso French novelist, son of a historian, who bends time and space in this story of the life and death of Reinhard Heidrich, Nazi gauleiter of Czechoslovakia, filled with contemporary references, this is superbly translated and read I highly recommend it.

A “Literary Tour de Force” NYT

SS general Reinhard Heydrich is one of history’s cruelest and most depraved actors. He’s rotten to the core, but Hitler and Himmler like him, so his power and opportunities are unlimited and he rejoices in using them. He was assassinated by two Czech resistance heroes in 1942 in Prague, and HHhH tells the chilling story of the assassination. But the book is more than a narrative of an event that has been extensively researched and retold: It also tells the tale of the author researching and writing the book, sort of a “play within a play.” I found this technique, in the hands of French author, Laurent Binet, extremely effective and interesting, but because it does interrupt the exciting narrative of the assassination plot itself, it was disliked by some reviewers. To me, however, Binet’s literary journey and ideas about historical fiction, complemented the narrative in chief and raised the book from a adventure tale, to literary fiction. It is not clear whether Binet’s part in the book is real or imagined, but it doesn’t matter, this is a terrific book either way. The superb reader greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

Great book, good-ish narrator

This is one of my favorite books, but the narrator sounds exactly like a British Captain Kirk. The overdramatic monotony of his voice, unfortunately, takes away some of my enjoyment of this amazing work.

Great if you are in the mindset to run with it

This book is weird, but in a good way. It took me a while to feel that way, however.

This book is not a conventional novel or history. The author mixes history, an attempt to write a novel about the people involved, and a kind of running commentary on his own efforts and struggles in writing the book. In some ways it reminds me of the movie Adaptation, where an writer struggles to write a screenplay without inserting himself into the story.

This book provided an engaging window into a piece of World War II history that is not covered much anymore (at least, in my experience). It also provides interesting insight into the struggles of writing a historical novel.

The pacing of the book and its frequent switching between history, an attempt at fiction, and commentary on the attempt at writing historical fiction was very strange at first. I got used to it after a while and enjoyed it, but it may be off-putting to people in the mood for a conventional novel or history.

I find that John Lee's narration can be dynamite or difficult, and it really depends on the book. His range can make books with lots of dialogue and characters difficult to follow at times. This book was right up his alley, however, as the voice of the author and his struggles came through pretty well.

I would recommend this book for history and fiction fans looking for something different and experimental.

exciting WW2 history with a personal touch

HHhH is a vivid and emotional retelling of an almost unbelievable true story, and kept me in suspense, ready to find out what happened next. I greatly enjoyed the voicing of both author and reader. (And translator.)

Strictly speaking, this book doesn't just tell the story of heroic WW2 soldiers and horrible Nazi think tanks. While that is the main thrust of the narrative, the book includes a rich view of the political and social climate, enriching the overall world of the story. By meandering into beginnings of other equally fascinating stories, Binet provides connective tissue of each historic thread. And he does so in a way that is extremely interesting, rather than a distraction from the main story. Continuing with the postmodern form, we're also let in on the author's personal obsessive information hunt, nagging creative insecurities, and life difficulties. What fun to hear about his process of making the novel!

I found the story both a thoughtful retelling and an engaging page-turner… Is "page-turner" an appropriate word for audiobooks?

Then unusual style of writing

I loved everything. Pretending the historical events are happening to the author in modern times is really be neat.

Interesting and compelling take

Any additional comments?

Interesting take on a pretty well documented subject, ie. the allied plot to assassinate Heydrich, architect of the final solution. Interweaves the historical parts with the author's experiences in writing the book. Some reviewers seemed to dislike this aspect but I thought it added a contemporary emotional dimension to what otherwise could have been a sterile story. Overall, it is good history mixed with thrilling storytelling.