The Zone of Interest is a 2014 novel by Martin Amis. It is his 14th published novel.
The novel is set in the Auschwitz concentration camp in the years 1942-43, with an epilogue in 1948. It is told through three rotating POVs: Angelus "Golo" Thomsen, an outwardly easygoing womanizer, who slowly begins to grapple with his role as a "Schreibtischtäter"
; Paul Doll, the camp commandant, who spirals ever deeper into delusions to justify his actions and to uphold his manhood; and Szmul, a Jewish inmate who prolongs his life by working as the head of the Sonderkommando.
The novel was loosely adapted into a film of the same name written and directed by Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast, Under the Skin). It premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in May of that year, and will be distributed in the US by A24 in December.
This novel contains examples of:
- The Atoner: Thomsen becomes this, first trying to sabotage the factory, and later working for the Americans on de-nazification
- Bilingual Bonus: There are a lot of German words and phrases in the book, especially in Doll's narratives, and only a small number of them are translated.
- Bittersweet Ending: While both Thomsen and Hannah Doll seem to have found a measure of happiness in their lifes after the war, the circumstances under which they met each other make their relationship impossible
- Face Death with Dignity: The Polish workers, because their families are threatened with death if they resist.
- Fan Disservice: The book goes to great lengths to portray most sexual situations as unpleasant as possible.
- For the Evulz: The whole book is a Deconstruction of the question of "Evil" and human agency in the context of the Holocaust.
- Historical Domain Character: Naturally, many are mentioned or briefly appear, and Martin Bormann appears prominently in the story and is cast as Thomsen's uncle.
- Industrialized Evil: In a way, the whole point of the Kat Zet.
- Mercy Kill: Szmul lures away and quickly kills a boy who used to be a friend of his son.
- Mood Whiplash: Is sure to swiftly follow after every comic situation.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Paul Doll's last words.
- Nazi Protagonist: Two out of three.
- Rage Within the Machine: Thomsen's attempt at sabotage, Hannah's attempt to undermine her husband.
- Translation Convention: The liberal use of German is quite inexplicable from a diegetic perspective.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The epilogue starts by recounting the fate of most characters. It's usually death.
- Your Days Are Numbered: All the Sonderkommandos live with this certainty. Later, Paul Doll explicitly tells Szmul when he is going to be killed.
