by Nicole Yurcaba
In his debut novel Dr. B., Daniel Birnbaum, the former director of the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm, unravels the complex story of German Jewish expatriates living in Sweden on the eve of World War II. Immanuel Birnbaum, a character loosely based on the author’s grandfather, is the novel’s main focus. After being denied the right to publish in Nazi Germany, Immanuel files his articles from his adopted Sweden in German and Swedish newspapers. Along the way, he encounters the likes of Stefan Zweig, Thomas Mann, and many other writers the Nazis suppressed and silence. Immanuel’s situation grows more complex after he agrees to write for a German press agency about the secret trappings of Sweden’s diplomatic world.
Dr. B., however, isn’t just another espionage thriller. It’s an intricate novel filled with mystery and intrigue and a careful examination of the allyships people choose and deny when circumstances are against them. Immanuel’s character, loosely based on the author’s grandfather, is a quietly powerful figure, one reminiscent of Jeremy Irons in Kafka. Immanuel is brave, especially as he strives to protect his family during a time when the Nazis targeted Jews and Nazi ideologies began slowly creeping into the public eye in more tolerant countries like Sweden. It’s at this point that Dr. B. will remind readers of Sjon’s 2021 novel Red Milk, a novel that places a critical eye on the allure of global fascism.
Dr. B. lacks, nonetheless, is Red Milk’s poesy and smoothness. While Birnbaum carefully shapes the novel’s characters and the novel’s narrative, at times the writing grows dry and clinical. Nonetheless, the novel redeems itself as the espionage plot threatening Immanuel and his family’s safety unfolds into a meticulous investigation of a country and a culture caught between the national interests of Germany and Russia. Here, many readers’ interests will pique, especially as the war in Ukraine reveals the true nature of “spheres of influence” which continually drive policy, media, and response, particularly from countries like Germany and France. Therefore, despite its historical setting, the novel’s relevancy grows.
Ultimately, however, the novel portrays the predicaments of individuals whose every day is a potential tragedy waiting to happen. This is especially true for Immanuel’s family—his wife, Lucia, and their two sons—who ultimately suffer the consequences of not only Immanuel’s actions, but also a culture on the brink of capitulation to a dangerous ideology. One of the novel’s most profound statements and turning points is when Lucia recognizes, “From today everything would be different.” She also acknowledges, “But one thing she did know. A new era had begun. That much was clear. From now on, everything depended on her.” After Immanuel’s arrest, Lucia must assume responsibility for the family. The novel’s brief conversation about female roles during times of cultural change and war may remind readers of Stephanie Vanderslice’s The Lost Son. The conversation, nevertheless, lacks depth, even though Lucia’s story and experiences are just as significant as Immanuel’s.
During this current time of war in Europe, a novel like Dr. B. opens necessary talking points about geographic spheres of influence, fair diplomacy, censorship, and the individuals who often unknowingly change the course of history. For historical fiction readers, Dr. B. is a nice jaunt into the past that isn’t too heady or dense. However, for those historical fiction readers who appreciate the smaller details that make a work of historical fiction more than accurate, Dr. B. will not deliver. What it does deliver is a letter to the world, a cautious, much-needed warning, about the pitfalls of playing devil’s advocate to the nations and autocrats whose false promises glitter like gold, but hold something more menacing in the invisible ink with which they are written.
Nicole Yurcaba (Ukrainian: Нікола Юрцаба) is a Ukrainian-American poet and essayist. Her poems and essays have appeared in The Atlanta Review, The Lindenwood Review, Whiskey Island, Raven Chronicles, Appalachian Heritage, North of Oxford, and many other online and print journals. Nicole holds an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University, is the recipient of a July 2020 Writing Residency at Gullkistan, Creative Center for the Arts in Iceland, and is a Tupelo Press June 2020 30 for 30 featured poet. Her poetry collection Triskaidekaphobia is forthcoming Black Spring Group in 2022. She teaches poetry workshops for Southern New Hampshire University and works as a career counselor for Blue Ridge Community College.
