Told over the period of 3 months in 1945, it's the story of concentration camp survivor Jacob, who returns to his home town, and Sarah, who wound up in Heidelberg also. They are the only 2 jews there. As they finding housing....such as it his, and Jacob figures out how to hustle to make money, they start believing in a future. But when the SS guard who killed Jacob's brother returns to town, Jacob wants to kill him. In a twist at the ending "the rat" is indeed killed, but there are a lot of ethical issues raised. Are the jews German or not? What about the families that moved into their deserted home - who gets them? I'm not sure I'd stay in a country that imprisoned me in a concentration camp, but how do you find the will to start over? ( )

Just weeks before Germany surrendered in April 1945, Jacob Klein's young brother, Maxie, who was suffering from typhoid, was killed by a savage Nazi guard. As Maxie died, Jacob promised him would get revenge. As he prepared to leave Bergen-Belsen, Jacob saw the guard, Rat, walking out. He was in no position to follow him or keep his promise at that time but was determined to go to Heidelberg, where they both had lived, find Rat, and kill him.
Sarah Kaufman, also from Heidelberg, promised her lover, whom she planned to marry, that they would meet in Heidelberg after the war if they were still alive. She survived by being hidden by good Christians only to be attacked by one of the liberating Russian soldiers.
Though it was difficult, both Jacob and Sarah met in Heidelberg, the only two Jews to have returned by the end of May. They meet and fall in love.
Jacob keeps watching out for Rat to return so he can carry out his oath. Sarah is afraid if he does so he will be caught and arrested, thus ruining any chance of them having a future together.
While neither of them are aware of it, there is a Jewish Brigade hit team targeting former SS officers.
Moral questions form a large part of the plot: Is someone from whom everything was taken guilty for stealing items to survive from people who may or may not have personally stolen from him? Was violence ever the answer? If so, what about other family members who would be directly affected by the retaliation? What should people do if those in control, in this case the liberating army, do not differentiate between the victims and the perpetrators? What would be the effect of killing a few former brutal Nazis? Are there limits to promised, hatred, love? What future is there for Jewish survivors who return to their prewar homes? The characters explain the desperate need for personal, often sexual relationships among the survivors. However, I think it was too detailed and distracted from the main story.
Martin Fletcher raise an interesting concept: "We all live with delusion...; it's our best weapon of survival. If we don't delude ourselves about ourselves, how can we live with ourselves?" It is the foundation for much of the story.
JACOB'S OATH was a well-written, fast-paced novel with and O.Henry-like ending. ( )

no paperback edition