Sirius

PerFiction_ist Rating

7 out of 10

---

Jonathan Crown's charming debut novel might have the apt subtitle: "The Story of How One Little Dog Almost Changed History" but it is also the story of a family dispossessed by war and the resilience of humanity.

---

In 1938, the Liliencrons are a privileged and cultured Jewish family living in Berlin with their extraordinarily intelligent terrier, Levi. In fact, Levi is the only remainder of a fictional attempt to create Jewish super dogs intended to compete with dogs that the Nazis, in reality, tried to train to speak, read and write. Life goes on as usual for the Liliencrons as the war draws inexorably closer, but everyday activities soon become tainted by the slow descent of the Jewish people into sub-human classification and gross discrimination. When a new Nazi edict requires Jews to use only a limited number of recognizable names, Levi is renamed "Sirius", after the star. The privileged Liliencron family is slow to realise how much danger they are in, as the situation is too horrible to be real. However, after the infamous Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), the family, along with Sirius, must make a desperate flight to safety from Berlin to America.

“He wanted to glance at Sirius and say: We are not animals to be divided into races, we are people. What gives you so-called Aryans the right to take the lives of us Jews? We are Germans. Just like you.

But suddenly, he can’t find the words.”

Once in the United States, the family is thrust into the upper echelons of Hollywood during, what will become known as, the golden age of the movie industry. The author juxtaposes the dark background of Germany with the brightness of Hollywood at this time, lending a feeling of surreality to the war the Liliencrons left behind. We meet a host of famous characters such as Billy Wilder, Rita Hayworth, Clark Gable, and the "one-man dream factory" himself: Jack Warner. As the family struggles to adjust to their new life, symptoms of PTSD become evident in both man and dog.

“A man crying in despair is the saddest sight in the world.”

However, soon their luck turns, as Sirius unintentionally becomes a movie star. He becomes so famous that he is referred to as the "King of Hollywood" and eclipses many other stars of the silver screen. America is in love with Sirius and it comes to pass that he embarks on a nationwide tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus. Things take an unexpected turn when Sirius finds himself accidentally switched with another dog and transported to Europe where he ends up back in Berlin, without his family.

Sirius becomes "Hansie" when a German military official takes him in. In this part of the story the indoctrination of the German people, especially the children, is depicted clearly. It is chilling how casual it is for officials to discuss the mass killing of millions of people in the concentration camps. The war is just a job, like any other job, but war is gruesome business.

When Hansie's owner is promoted to the position of Hitler's personal adjutant, Hansie becomes a valuable asset to the resistance as a spy. We get an intimate look at the end stages of the war from inside the Nazi inner circle; right into the bunker where Hitler met his end.

The book has a hopeful ending, one that establishes it as a feel-good story despite the heavy subject of World War 2. Sirius is a fable about fate, humanity, and identity. Sirius himself struggles to maintain a grip on his identity through all the unexpected changes he endures and must adapt to, something we can all relate to on some level.

“‘Who am I?’ he wonders. And: ‘Am I happy?’

These questions. These eternal questions.”

This story is hopeful and insightful. While not all dogs are as intelligent and humanistic as Sirius, they do have an uncanny ability to recognize our emotions and bring joy into our lives with their unstoppable optimism and unconditional love.

I genuinely enjoyed this book, it was a quick read at only 247 pages, and it contained two of my favorite topics: dogs and history. It doesn't focus too much on the details and suffering of the war, but it is not that kind of book. It can be described as tragicomic, but it is also intelligent and heartwarming at the same time. I recommend this book to all historical fiction fans and even those who don't know much about history, because it is not a heavy introduction to the genre. It is a must for dog lovers everywhere, of course. There's nothing better, in my opinion, than a story told from a dog's point of view and it is impossible not to fall in love with Sirius.

---

First Published as Sirius 2014

Translated from the German by Jamie Searle Romanelli

ISBN: 9781784081980