Book review number five

Cat and Mouse by Gunter Grass - 189 pages

This is one of those quirky little books that's easy reading and the characters are likeable enough, but it's not quite gripping enough to keep me from day-dreaming on occasion.

Pilenz tells the story of "the great Mahlke" his best friend, as the two mature from innocent Catholic boys to young men in war-time Germany. Mahlke is an unlikely hero; scrawny, ugly even, and with a prominent adam's apple that he will go to any lengths to hide. His self-confidence gets a boost after he learns to swim (well after all of his classmates) and discovers that not only does he take to the water like a fish, but his new-found talent for speed and prolonged stints underwater brings him into high esteem in the eyes of his peers. The two boys wile away their adolescent summers and slowly watch each other evolve into fine young men. Mahlke remains the silent hero, and after returning home with his Iron Cross he takes one last dive to visit his favorite sunken minesweep, and fails to resurface. Pilenz remains faithful to the bitter end.