The Sonderberg Case | B

Werner Sonderberg, a German student living in Manhattan, has been arrested and charged with the murder of his uncle. When asked by the judge to state his plea, his reply is surprising: "Guilty and not guilty."

This confusing statement encapsulates the ambivalent atmosphere surrounding Yedidyah Wasserman, the protagonist in Elie Wiesel's latest novel, The Sonderberg Case. Yedidyah is a drama critic assigned to cover Sonderberg's trial. But instead of being an impartial viewer in the proceedings, he identifies with the defendant's plea and wonders about the greater significance of their encounter.

In the opening scene, Yedidyah finds out he is ill. This news starts him on a retrospective journey in which he confronts his relationship to his family's past. A twist in Sonderberg's trial and an eye-opening meeting between them propels Yedidyah into further introspection. His own secrets are revealed, and he struggles to make peace with them. Throughout, he quotes the Jewish sages and the Talmud, but it is unclear where he stands in his relationship with God. There is faith but also anger. The reader gets a feel for his upheaval as Yedidyah jumps back and forth from memories of his relatives, to the trial, and then to the present day.

His ambivalence is further mirrored by the novel's construction: The chapters are unnumbered, narration shifts between first and third person and his descriptions of people and places seem dreamlike and ungrounded. Yedidyah constantly asks questions, and it is unclear if he is clarifying for the sake of himself or the reader. Either way, this tactic invites the reader to think about the big questions raised, especially about where to draw the line between guilt and innocence.

Elie Wiesel, a Nobel Laureate and author of the acclaimed Holocaust memoir Night, has delivered an emotive narrative in The Sonderberg Case. The novel ends quickly and could have left more of a powerful lasting impression. However, because Wiesel is an eloquent and engaging writer, readers will be hooked by the unfolding trial and its larger meaning.