A book a day: Liliana Blum: Red Gust

Original Language: español

Year of publication: 2025

Valoración: Alright

Red burst tells the story of Hannie Schaft, an outstanding figure of the anti -zi resistance, from a point of view in the first person and a half (the narrator, Hannie, tells the story to an interlocutor that we are not). From the cell where he suffers torture and awaits his imminent execution, he recalls his life and his struggle. This is not a spoiler: Hannie Schaft existed and the facts are real. In fact, it is an exciting plot: that of a young woman who killed Nazis. However, the novel failed to convince me at all.

Perhaps what baffled me the most was the casual tone, almost of detachment, with which the story is told. Despite being a victim of thirst, hunger and pain, the cheerful evocation of his years of youth, his beginnings in resistance and subversive activities acquires an almost fantastic nuance. In such a terrible and hopeless situation, not only for its imprisonment, but also for the war and the rise of Nazism, one would expect to feel moved, terrified or hopeless. However, it is not so: the story is interesting and the captivating Schaft figure, provided that one knows his career or decides to investigate the wikipedia.

I think it is a risk that one is exposed to writing about a historical figure: to rely too much on the feats of the real character and neglect the novelistic character. I am not sure that Hannie Schaft of the novel holds for itself. In addition, the saturation of stories about Nazism and World War II causes many passages to be redundant, although they occur in a place that is little spoken. Perhaps a little familiar reader with the subject and with virgin eyes live the work differently, but it was not my case.

On the other hand, the novel has several notable successes: Liliana Blum writes precisely, is able to capture the daily life of life in resistance; The rhythm, alternating intimate memories with moments of tension, enters reading; Historical reconstruction is rigorous, using authentic data and references that provide depth and credibility; And, above all, Hannie Schaft’s voice, although sometimes distant, is memorable.

Together, it seems to me an interesting work; However, considering the high standards to which Liliana Blum has accustomed us, ends up being somewhat short.