Book-The ODESSA file

Author-Frederick Forsyth

Having read only one other of his novels, “The Avenger”, and half sleepily watching a movie adaptation of “The day of the Jackal”, I can’t claim to know Forsyth’s style of writing very well, but I did have high hopes for “The ODESSA file”, and F.F did not disappoint.

What I have noticed about F.F is that he’s amazingly brilliant, does his homework on whatever subject he’s writing on, and is THE master of plot.” The ODESSA file”, set in Germany in 1963-64, is about a secret society of the former SS of Hitler, who are hatching a ploy to bomb Israel with Egypt’s help. The protagonist is a freelance journalist from Hamburg by the name “Peter Miller, who, by chance comes into possession of a diary written by a recently deceased concentration camp survivor. Upon reading the diary, Miller’s outlook and attitude towards the Nazis change completely, and he vows to hunt down a man from the diary named Eduard Roschmann. Roschmann was an officer in the notorious SS, and became one of the heads of the concentration camp at Riga. Roschmann’s brutality and inhumanity earned him the nickname of “The Butcher of Riga.”

Thinking so, he takes out his life savings and sets out on his mission, only to find closed doors and unwilling compatriots everywhere, as many of the state and local government employees and policemen who control the information he needs are themselves either directly or indirectly involved with the SS. Seemingly in control of all of them is the ODESSA (Organisation der ehemaligen SS angehurigen), an organization of former SS dedicated to hiding, protecting, and aiding their own. Before long, Miller ends up on their radar and they determine he must be dealt with.

Before long, you find yourself immersed in world politics, war history, and you’re taken on a whirlwind tour of Germany and Austria. Forsyth was excruciatingly descriptive in “The Avenger”, and is no different here. You learn a huge load when you read the book, but the downside is that his way of presentation was almost academic, and I almost forgot I was reading a novel a couple of times.

Forsyth is known for his turn point climaxes, and yes, I did feel that way when I read avenger. But by my good luck or his lack of imagination (mostly the former), I guessed the climax well in the beginning of the book. That didn’t, in any way, spoil the fun of reading the book, for it has been brilliantly written. Even stuff like making a bomb or cracking a safe has been described in great detail, so I wouldn’t be surprised if an amateur blew up a car or robbed a house solely with the knowledge gained from reading this particular novel.

The similarity between avenger, jackal, and Odessa is that on one side there is a lone, driven man on a mission. On the other is the force trying to stop him at all costs. Forsyth’s skill lies in making all sides of the story fascinating, and effectively building the tension as the they head towards their inevitable showdown.

Towards the end in a few parts, Forsyth seems to have lost his touch, where he makes a few mistakes in storyline. Also, writing an English novel in a German setting can make things a bit difficult for the author, and it was downright odd when two locals of Hamburg conversed in British slang.

But now I'm a registered Forsyth fan.All doubts which I might have had about him after reading avenger were dispelled after reading “The ODESSA file”. Both were extremely captivating, and motivated even a descriptive novel hater like myself to get going.There’s even a movie adaptation which I’ll definitely check out soon.

Overall I'd recommend this to all fans of spy novels and historical fiction.