The Tin Drum – Gunter Grass
This book is set around the time of WWII, well just before and after as well, but the Nazi’s rise to power occurs during the main character’s (Oscar) growing up. This takes place in Danzig (Poland), and Oscar stops (allegedly as a conscious decision) growing physically, after having fallen down some stairs in the family shop. There are two important factors in Oscar’s life – his piercing, nay shattering scream, and his tin drum(s).
Women also play a large role in his life, from the moment of his birth (which he claims to recall very well), to his attempted conquests. I’ll not reveal why he ends up there, but most of the story is told with Oscar being in an asylum, which doesn’t seem to actually bother Oscar too much.
This book has apparently received a lot of acclaim in the genre of German post-war novels, and I’m not going to argue with the professional critics on this one 🙂