The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin
"The Boys from Brazil" is a novel that weaves a complex narrative around Dr. Josef Mengele, a notorious figure from WWII infamous for his inhumane experiments in concentration camps, who is now operating a secret laboratory in Brazil. The story follows Yakov Liebermann, a determined Nazi hunter inspired by historical figures like Simon Wiesenthal, as he uncovers Mengele's chilling plan to assassinate ninety-four individuals tied to a past that the Nazis wish to erase. As the plot unfolds, it becomes evident that Mengele is attempting to clone Adolf Hitler, with each clone placed into the care of families that mirror Hitler's own upbringing.
Central themes include the exploration of identity, morality, and the implications of genetic manipulation, which raise ethical questions about the nature of evil and the potential for history to repeat itself. The narrative escalates into a tense confrontation between Liebermann and Mengele, culminating in a struggle that underscores the significance of choice and humanity. Ultimately, Liebermann grapples with the moral dilemma of whether to pursue vengeance against children who bear the genetic legacy of a tyrant, leading to a poignant conclusion about the value of life and the possibility of redemption. The novel engages readers in a thought-provoking reflection on the consequences of the past and the future of humanity.
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The Boys from Brazil
First published: 1976
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—cautionary
Time of work: 1974-1975
Locale: Various cities around the world
The Plot
Ira Levin presents an intricate plot involving Dr. Josef Mengele (the “Angel of Death” from the Nazi concentration camps), who has set up a laboratory in Brazil. Yakov Liebermann is a Nazi hunter, based on the legendary Simon Wiesenthal. The two enemies finally confront each other in the United States, where the plot is resolved.
Only far into the book do readers learn the nature of Mengele’s plan, but there are intimations throughout. At a meeting of old Nazis, Mengele gives out the names and locations of ninety-four men who will have to be murdered within the next year. None holds an important position; most are civil servants or minor functionaries in government. They are spread all over the world. The Nazis are given new identity papers, passports, and money.
Unknown to Mengele, a young Jewish man interested in capturing Nazis has recognized Mengele and persuaded a waitress in the restaurant where the meeting is held to plant a tape recorder and to retrieve it for him. Mengele becomes suspicious, finds the waitress, and through her tracks down the young man, who is found in his hotel room playing parts of the tape to Liebermann. The young man is killed, but Liebermann has heard enough to pique his curiosity. He asks a friend at the Reuters news agency to note unusual deaths, and he travels to Germany to interview a woman who worked for Mengele during the war. She tells him enough to send him to a German scientist, who reveals that research is pointing toward the possibility of cloning a person from his or her cells.
Liebermann guesses that Mengele somehow has cloned Adolf Hitler and arranged for the ninety-four clones to be adopted. Each has the exact genetic code of Hitler, and each adoptive mother is married to someone unimportant, just as Hitler’s mother was. Liebermann begins to track down these families. All the boys look alike, with pale skin and dark hair, and all are impolite. Liebermann travels to the United States, where he expects the next assassination to take place.
Meanwhile, Mengele’s operation has been shut down by higher Nazi command, and the assassins have been called home. Mengele destroys his laboratory but intends to continue with the assassinations of the adoptive fathers. He also plans to kill Liebermann because of his interference. They meet at the home of one of the boys, whose father Mengele kills and tosses into the basement. When the boy comes home from school, Mengele and Liebermann are in a life-and-death struggle. The boy sends his dogs after Mengele because he has a gun. The boy figures out who has killed his father and orders the dogs to kill him.
Liebermann recuperates and makes one more stop in America. In New York City, he meets with radical Jews who know about the list of children that Liebermann carries. While they talk, Liebermann tears up the list and flushes it down a toilet, telling the leader that it is wrong to kill children, any children, and that simply because they have Hitler’s genes does not mean they will turn out like him.