This cynical novel, adroitly composed of dialogues and soliloquies that explore the depth of Germany's "metaphysical rigor," boils with post-war Germany's corruption; no more chilling portrait of political machinations is imaginable. But politicians as pawns aren't the true focus; Boll concentrates on the power-brokers and ex-Nazis behind the scenes, those for whom politics is "just a game, a profession, a business." Central characters Herman and Erika Wubler reveal their own troubled characters while reacting strongly to the economic, religious, and political forces working against them. Boll's final work, this unrelenting novel consummates the themes of his later writing... --Paul E. Hutchison, Library Journal.