HHhHHHhH
Score Modern
What it's about
HHhH: 'Himmler's brain is called Heydrich.' Laurent Binet tells the story of Reinhard Heydrich, one of the most dangerous men in Hitler's regime, and the two exiled parachutists, a Slovak and a Czech, who assassinated him in Prague in 1942, while questioning, as he writes, how to tell a true story in a novel.
Why it's worth reading
It was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. It's an inventive, gripping and very unusual historical novel.
You'll love it if you liked
All the Light We Cannot See
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany
The Book ThiefGood to know
Binet often steps into the story to talk about his research. It was translated from French.
By the numbers
- Readers82 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics25 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller13 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz1 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #577 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1100 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
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Quick answers
Is HHhH worth reading?
Yes. It was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. It ranks #1,100 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 71.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is HHhH about?
HHhH: 'Himmler's brain is called Heydrich.' Laurent Binet tells the story of Reinhard Heydrich, one of the most dangerous men in Hitler's regime, and the two exiled parachutists, a Slovak and a Czech, who assassinated him in Prague in 1942, while questioning, as he writes, how to tell a true story in a novel.
How long does it take to read HHhH?
About 8 hours (327 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after HHhH?
If you liked it, try All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer or The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.