Written in 2008, but set in interwar Germany, the style seems to have been written a hundred years ago (although I do not know if the original in German would have given me the same feeling). The text is simple, straightforward, flat and transparent ... in appearance. At least in the Spanish translation, the novel conveys a very light reading and even something childish that delves into the most hidden of human beings. The apotheosis end [SPOILER], when the protagonist dies and rebels against God and, therefore, against the homeland, the Government and society is a masterpiece. The last five pages give meaning to the whole text. In conclusion, the story is a fierce critique to the establishment, although I find the story too long for such a clear and easy outcome. I think that with a shorter story Joseph Roth would have had more than enough to reach his conclusions.