Katie Reviews~ The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz

The Passenger follows the story of the businessman Otto Silberman as he tries to navigate Germany during the onset of World War 2. The novel creates a sense of frustration and worry for the reader which I believe is due to the reader knowing the outcome of the war and the horrific events that occurred however the character is experiencing the events first hand with no knowledge of how it’ll turn out.

This book is made even more fascinating by the author’s story. Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz who moved to London in 1939 from Germany, was moved by the events of Kristallnacht and wrote The Passenger in four weeks which was published in Britain and France to little notice. Boschwitz was declared an official "enemy alien" and was imprisoned at a camp on the Isle of Man following the outbreak of World War 2 along with other German and Austrian refugees. During the war the imprisoned refugees and prisoners of war were transported to other British dominions, Boschwitz was deported to Australia aboard the HMT Dunera. After the attack on Pearl Habour refugees were reclassified as "friendly aliens" and refugees were freed including Boschwitz. Boschwitz wrote a letter to his mother instructing an overhaul to his manuscript and she should expect the first 109 of the reworded versions. Boschwitz decided to make the voyage back to Britain on the MV Abosso which was a troopship, the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine 362 travellers died including Boschwitz who was just 27 years old. The amendments to The Passenger never arrived and was lost. Based on the communications with his mother, the family supported the German publisher and editor Peter Graf in publishing the book with the new amendments for the first time in its native language German. Which was also translated into English.