How German Is It?

Walter Abish's 'How German Is It' is an experimental novel that probes the complexities of German identity and collective memory after World War II. Through fragmented narrative, shifting perspectives, and oblique references to the Holocaust, the book examines how societies remember and repress traumatic histories.

Abish uses formal innovation to unsettle readers and to highlight the difficulty of articulating national guilt and personal responsibility.

The novel blends satire, mystery, and moral inquiry to question what it means to be 'German' in the postwar era.

It is widely regarded as a challenging but important work in postwar literature.