Martin Amis' The Zone of Interest is set in Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi concentration and extermination camp which killed many Jewish people during the height of World War II. The novel is told from the perspective of three separate characters (Angelus Thomsen, Paul Doll, and Szmul Zacharias), each of whom is affected by the Nazi war machine and the Holocaust in different ways. Fundamentally, the novel explores the nature of romance in a warzone and how people deal with their past memories.
Angelus Thomsen is an officer stationed at Auschwitz. He is Martin Bormann's (Hitler's personal secretary) privileged nephew who was given the assignment at Auschwitz to keep him off the front lines of the war. However, his position is a grim one; he is responsible for carrying out the genocidal plans of his uncle. Despite existing in a terrible, horrific environment, Thomsen unexpectedly falls for Hannah Doll, the wife of the camp's incompetent commandant, Paul Doll. But their love, no matter how much Thomsen tries to make something happen between them, never blossoms.
Meanwhile, Paul Doll's narrative shows a man who is grappling with the moral implications of being in charge of a mass extermination operation while dealing with troubles in his personal life. When he sees that Thomsen is attracted to his wife, Doll becomes consumed with jealousy and sets out to get revenge. This personal drama plays out against the backdrop of genocide, creating tension and underscoring the oftentimes mundane things that happened at such horrific places. Ultimately, Doll sets out to kill his wife but eventually isn't able to carry this out and kills himself.
The final thread of the story is told through the eyes of Szmul, a Jewish Sonderkommando (a Jewish person who conspired with the Nazis to carry out the Holocaust). Through his eyes, readers are able to see the whole truth about the horrors of the Holocaust. The Sonderkommandos were Jews forced to aid in the extermination process. Oftentimes, they facilitated the deaths of many compatriots. Szmul describes in agonizing detail the lengths he had to go to keep his position and survive the Holocaust. It is clear that he is rapt with guilt over the role he played in the Holocaust. His insights into the genocide provide a harrowing counterpoint to the personal and often petty preoccupations of Thomsen and Doll, both of whom are not fighting for their lives.
As the war progresses and the tide turns against the Nazis, the camp's atmosphere grows more chaotic and desperate. Prisoners, and to a lesser extent, the camp's guards, start to realize that the Nazis will soon be summarily defeated.
Amis's novel is a chilling reminder of the depths to which humanity can sink when gripped by hatred and prejudice. Through its multi-perspective narrative structure, it forces readers to confront the Holocaust's horror from the viewpoints of both perpetrators and victims. In that sense, the novel is also about unrestricted power and how it can result in terrible things happening. The contrasting elements of personal desires and the banality of evil reflect how humans behave amidst tragedy.
