The Draughtsman

Speak out for the fate of millions or turn a blind eye? We all have choices.

‘Absolutely exceptional. So beautifully written, with precision and wisdom and real emotional acuity … A remarkable achievement’ STEPHEN KELMAN, author of Pigeon English

Erfurt, Germany, 1944.

Ernst Beck has a new job at prestigious engineering firm, Topf & Sons: finally, he can make a contribution to the war effort, provide for his beautiful wife, Etta, and make his parents proud. But there is a price.

He is assigned to the firm’s smallest team, the Special Ovens Department. Reporting directly to Berlin his role is to annotate plans for new crematoria that are deliberately designed to burn day and night. Their destination: the concentration camps. Topf’s new client: the SS. Ernst must choose between turning a blind eye, or speaking out for the fate of thousands.

Bold and powerful, The Draughtsman shines a light on the complex contradictions of human nature and examines how deeply complicit we can become in the face of fear.