Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “Wolf” A Novel” By Herbert J. Stern & Alan A. Winter, Skyhorse Publishing, February 2020

 Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Wolf A Novel” by Herbert J. Stern & Alan A. Winter, Skyhorse Publishing, February 2020

Herbert J. Stern and Alan A. Winter authors of “Wolf A Novel” have written a disturbing, dark, intense, and thought-provoking novel.  The Genres for this Novel are Historical Fiction and Fiction. The authors have used poetic license to use some fictional characters to help narrate the story of Adolf Hitler before he was so powerful. The timeline for this story starts in 1918 in a mental hospital. It continues to when Hitler has risen to power.

Friedrich Richard is a fictional character who needed plastic surgery and regular surgery after being hurt during World War One. In addition, he has no memory of who he is. He is given the name of “X’ and then Friedrich Richard. At this hospital, he meets Adolf Hitler, who is called “Wolf”, who has hysterical blindness. Friedrich helps Adolf with everything, and when Adolf gets his eyesight back, they become very close. In this book, Friedrich and Wolf are friends for 15 years. Friedrich is sympathetic to the Jewish people that he meets and becomes good friends with some of them,  Although he has amnesia, Friedrich is able to play the piano, and is very strong.  It seems that the authors have created Friedrich to try to moderate Wolf’s moods and actions, and be sort of a “conscience”.

I appreciate that the authors have done such a tremendous amount of research. I also found it surprising that “Wolf” seemed to have a way with the ladies. At one point he uses a poem and claims he has written it, but it was written by another poet.   Also, it is mentioned that Wolf (Hitler) was very loyal to early friends. As Hitler and the Nazi party become powerful, there are betrayals and evil, that we know from History.

“Wolf” is an evil, “psychopathic”  man, that caused millions of people to die, and this book does show how he came to power. I would recommend this dark and thought-provoking novel for those people interested in World War Two and the life of how Hitler became so ruthless and powerful.