“On the 8th October 1908, Adolf Hitler was refused entry to the Fine Art Academy in Vienna. What would have happened if the jury had decided otherwise and accepted him? That decision would have changed the course of a life, the life of a timid, impassioned youth, the life of Adolf Hitler. But it would also have changed the course of the world.”

~The Alternative Hypothesis~ (La part de l’autre) - Eric-Emmanuel Schmidt

That summary intrigued me. So I read this book and it’s absolutely out of this world — breathtaking.

Based on historical facts, it draws 2 portraits:

1. The first one is a historical portrait of the Hitler we know, responsible for the death of 55 million people
2. The second portrait is a hypothetical portrait of Hitler - if he had been admitted to the Fine Art Academy and had accomplished his long-life dream: becoming a painter.

Chapter after chapter, the one who has failed is opposed to the one who has succeeded. The one who failed is called Hitler. He was refused by the artistic world. The one who has been accepted by this empyrean is called Adolf H.

The author chose to focus on his early years and the description of the shy, puritan, passionate and considerate Adolf is disconcerting. Orphan at 18, he cherishes the memory his mother who died of breast cancer, has a profound respect (even fear) of women, and was raised to despise anti-Semitism and intolerance. He even refuses to eat meat – his vegetarianism is in part a reflection of his well-known love for animals (and his admiration for the composer Richard Wagner who promoted vegetarianism in his essays). At the beginning, this guy was not so different from us — as a child, as a young man; he was no monster. And I’m surprised, horrified at finding this character quite human – I can almost identify with him!! A little impulsive, passionate and extreme at times (those who know me will understand)….but human. Schmitt is trying to demonstrate that no man was ever born a monster. One too many rejections sent him over the edge. Who can’t relate to that? Under the right circumstances, who knows what we’re capable of? That’s what the book is about.

Risky topic — but that’s what great literature is made of!! The author is using empathy without feeling any sympathy at all. He is not trying to justify Hitler’s actions. Yet, this tale is unsettling, disturbing…More, it’s a shockwave; we’re reminded that we all have a dark and deadly side that lays sleeping in us. It is a great literary piece which forces us to ask ourselves disturbing questions. It is a human, terrible, fascinating book. A simple lesson: in life, making the wrong choice is the most frequent mistake of all. Fate is nothing else but an illusion.