In John Wray's astonishing first novel The Right Hand of Sleep, it is 1938 and Oskar Voxlauer has returned to Niessen, the Austrian village that in 1917, while still a teenager, he left to join the fighting on the Italian front. Much has happened to Oskar in the intervening years since leaving home. A deserter who abandoned his unit in Isonzo, he later drifted eastward, finally landing in Soviet-controlled Ukraine, naively convinced that Bolshevism represented the future. Initially an enthusiastic supporter of the Bolsheviks, he has been beaten down and emptied out by years of living in a constant state of semi-starvation under their brutal dominion. His return to the village where he grew up takes place not out of nostalgia or longing, but largely because he cannot think of anything else to do with himself. After briefly residing with his frail elderly mother, he takes a position as gamekeeper on a friend's property in the hills outside of Niessen, severing his ties in town and for a while living like a hermit. But though he would like to, Oskar cannot put himself out of reach of external events. Hitler's Germany is flexing its muscles throughout Europe and tensions are on the rise. The Anschluss occurs in March and even Oskar, isolated as he is, knows that war is on the horizon. In the meantime, Oskar becomes involved with Else Bauer, daughter of the previous gamekeeper. After the annexation Else’s cousin Kurt, a member of the Austrian Nazi party, is installed by the Germans in a prominent position in Niessen. Else's ties to Kurt and her love for Oskar—who, as the novel progresses, reveals a troubling propensity for self-destructive behaviour and remarkable talent for making enemies—give rise to a complex tension-filled dynamic—an ideological tug-of-war that slowly escalates into a power struggle—that the reader gradually realizes will only be resolved with the death of one of the two men. Throughout the book, Wray’s writing is lush and vivid, alive with sensual detail that brilliantly evokes the period and setting—often astoundingly so. The narrative itself, which depends to some extent on flashbacks to fill out the story, sometimes bogs down—and there are stretches when the reader may be forgiven for wondering if anything is ever going to happen. Wray is a patient writer who expects his reader to be patient as well. Some readers may resent having to consult the history books in order to acquire a bit of context for the action. Others may welcome this as a learning opportunity. Regardless, in his accomplished first novel John Wray displays a formidable talent and considerable promise and has written a mature and memorable work of fiction. ( )

In "The Right Hand of Sleep" John Wray gives us the story of a somewhat unstable Austrian who travels from the Ukraine and Bolshevism in 1938 back to the Alps just in time, unfortunately, for Austria to become part of the Third Reich. The character's name says much: Oskar Voxlauer - the man with the lowered or ineffective voice.

Voxlauer takes on perhaps the character of many other Austrians in his helplessness in the face of authority. It's possible, however, that this onetime left-winger, this sympathizer with the Jews, helps a targeted Jewish businessman escape to Switzerland. The incoming authority, the Obersturmfuhrer, is killed in a motorcycle accident. It's been several years since I read this, so I'm not sure if our hero is implicated. My notes seem to indicate so, however.

"The Right Hand of Sleep" is vividly told, in which motivations are real and so are the consequences. Oskar huddles with his woman in a lonely mountain cabin at the end of this book, and together they await the official German occupation. This story has a grim focus on some grim events.

http://bassoprofundo1.blogspot.com/2010/06/right-hand-of-sleep-by-john-wray.html ( )