Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II

“‘It’s simple. You tell me something that I could not possibly know. Then I’ll check if it’s true […] If you can tell me something that is true that I could not possibly have known myself, that’ll prove that you’re not just figments of my imagination.’”

Max responds to a supernatural event with the scientific method, establishing his defining characteristic as a logical thinker. This decision to “test” the creatures’ existence foreshadows the intellect and strategic thinking he will later apply to his pranks and espionage work, demonstrating his innate aptitude for verifying information.

“But he didn’t. He felt worse. […] And when the challah was passed around, a shiny braided loaf much longer and more perfect than anything Max’s mother had ever baked, Max didn’t even take any. He just sat there, unmoving.”

This scene at the Shabbat dinner table subverts the expectation of shared identity providing comfort. The “more perfect” challah indicates the Montagus’ wealth and comfort, highlighting the socioeconomic divide between them and Max’s parents, complicating his experience as a refugee.

“But then he stopped wondering about it because Dr. Joseph Goebbels came on the air. Goebbels was Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. He was always on the radio, shouting into the microphone. Tonight, his speech was particularly terrifying: ‘I will remind you what our Supreme Leader Adolf Hitler has so wisely said: if there is another war in Europe, it will not lead to the destruction of Germany, but to the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe!’”

The insertion of a direct, historically accurate quote from a Nazi official grounds the narrative in the stark reality of the political climate. Broadcast through the radio, this moment clarifies the life-or-death stakes of Max’s situation and transforms the radio from a comfort object into a conduit for threatening propaganda. Using stark antisemitic language such as “annihilate” from real propaganda, the passage foregrounds the context of the Nazi “Final Solution” for the young audience, serving a didactic purpose.

“Professor Goldenschaft smacked Max on his ears over and over with a ruler as the boys watched. Max had gone home that day with bloody streaks crisscrossing his head. They were completely and totally worth it.”

This flashback establishes a critical pattern in Max’s character: using his intellect to publicly humiliate and subvert oppressive authority figures. The final sentence reveals his willingness to take risks in order to assert his sense of self-respect and what is morally right. The memory serves as a key piece of characterization, foreshadowing the more elaborate strategic pranks he will use to achieve his goals in England, and tying into his suitability as a spy.

“So Max told Anthony what his papa always used to tell him, translating it into English as best he could: ‘We are Jews, Anthony,’ he said. ‘They call us names when they want us to feel weak. But we are not weak. We are tough. Tougher than they are.’”

In this moment, Max assumes a mentoring role for Anthony, directly articulating a central element of his own personal resilience. This scene connects to the theme of The Loss of Childhood During War, as Max, a child in crisis, provides the wisdom and strength typically offered by an adult.

“But above it all, Max could hear Uncle Ewen join Uncle Ivor in a fit of mad, uncontrolled laughter. And then, amid the din, Max heard Uncle Ewen collect himself enough to say, ‘Sorry, Stuart, old boy. But that child is a genius.’”

This quote marks a turning point where Max’s subversive intelligence is recognized as an asset by a person of influence. Ewen’s laughter and declaration of Max’s genius stand in stark contrast to Mr. Montagu’s fury, signaling an appreciation for the unconventional and strategic nature of the prank. This moment validates Max’s methods and foreshadows Ewen’s role in recruiting him into espionage.

“You always have to know what the bully is going to do before they do it. You have to think through all the possibilities—three, four moves out. […] Nazi Germany is all bullies, everywhere you look. I learned to think four moves ahead. Otherwise I wouldn’t have survived.”

Max here directly links his foresight to the survival tactics he developed in Germany. The text establishes his precocious mindset as a necessary adaptation to a hostile environment, framing his planning as a conditioned response to trauma. The phrase “Germany is all bullies” presents Nazism through the language and perspective of a child, in terms that are relatable for the book’s young audience.

“Occasionally, a bomb shook the house. But when one did, and if it caused Ewen to duff a shot, or Ivor to whiff altogether, there were no do-overs. No complaints. No appeals to the judge […] This was the new reality—what would be called ‘the Blitz.’”

The use of the family’s table tennis game during an air raid serves to characterize their resilience and British cultural stoicism. The juxtaposition of a mundane game with the chaos of the Blitz creates a striking tonal contrast which emphasized the disorienting reality of living ordinary life through wartime. This is part of the novel’s assimilation of historical fact, as the “Blitz spirit”—civilians’ stoical refusal to be cowed by German bombing raids—is a famous feature of World War II, and was a turning-point for British morale and support for the war effort.

“Damn it all! We should have known this was coming! Where are our bloody eyes and ears?”

This quote marks the narrative’s turning point, as Uncle Ewen’s cry of professional desperation provides the catalyst for Max’s plan. The rhetorical question functions as a direct problem statement that Max, with his unique skills, realizes he is positioned to solve. Ewen’s outburst exposes the critical intelligence gap that Britain faces, opening the door for Max to offer himself as the solution: the “eyes and ears” inside Germany.

“Flick of the wrist. Cast of the fly. Hooked.”

These three sentence fragments are a significant stylistic choice concluding the chapter. The clipped, staccato rhythm mimics Max’s precise actions and mirrors the fishing language used in the scene’s setup. This extended metaphor frames Max’s technological prank as an act of spy craft, where Admiral Godfrey is the “fish” that has been “hooked” by Max’s bait.

“I will never forget that phone call. Never in my whole life. When the police came on the line, my mother said, ‘We’re being attacked!’ The police asked what her name was. She told them … and then I heard laughter. The policemen were laughing. Then they hung up.”

Recounting the events of Kristallnacht, Max illustrates the collapse of the social contract for Jews in Germany. The use of anaphora in “Never…” emphasizes the indelible nature of the memory, while repetition of the policemen’s “laughter” and “laughing” conveys the unbelievable horror of the event. Max’s memory serves as a key motivation, justifying his parents’ decision to send him away and fueling his desperation to return.

“I hate the Nazis more than you do, Colonel Roberts. Trust me. But I would absolutely spy for them if it meant my parents would be safe. Between what is right and my parents, I choose my parents.”

This declaration is the climax of Max’s interrogation. By stating that his loyalty to his parents supersedes abstract morality, Max proves he is motivated by a predictable and controllable force: love. Max’s statement demonstrates his honesty and also explores how difficult moral dilemmas are created by extreme circumstances.

“We find a resource and exploit it. Coal, trees, opium, silver, human beings. We wring it dry, till it’s all used up. Or dead. […] In this case, Max, you are the resource. Do you understand me?”

Uncle Ivor’s warning provides an alternative critical perspective on the motives of the British intelligence service, complicating the narrative’s moral landscape. The asyndetic list of exploited resources culminates in “human beings,” equating British imperialism with the potential use and disposal of Max. The metaphor of Max as a “resource” introduces foreshadowing and forces the reader to directly question the ethics of using a child as a spy, something that, until now, has been part of the novel’s magical realism.

“Max thought back to the Nazi newspaper cartoons of fat bankers with monocles and top hats and hooked noses, controlling the world with strings like puppet masters. Lord Rothschild wasn’t fat at all, and though his nose had a bit of a bump on it, he wasn’t even controlling the explosive materials in his own lab. He certainly didn’t appear to be controlling the world.”

Max’s observation directly juxtaposes the dehumanizing Nazi stereotypes of wealthy Jews with the reality of Lord Rothschild. Told from Max’s perspective, the passage follows his child’s logical reasoning as he tries to disentangle the truth from what he has absorbed from propaganda.

“‘Second,’ said Jean, ‘everyone has a motivation. […] But when you were calm enough to think it through, you realized that she had a very reasonable motivation indeed, didn’t she?’ […] ‘Third, once you know someone’s motivation, you can use it to control their behavior. […] That little encounter with the kangaroo is what being a spy is all about,’ said Jean.”

Following Max’s test involving the kangaroo, Jean explicitly articulates the core principles of espionage. This dialogue serves as a didactic moment, transforming an absurd event into a foundational lesson on psychological manipulation and strategy. The juxtaposition of the serious lesson and the surreality of the kangaroo creates humor, an example of the novel’s use of absurdist and magic-realist tropes.

“‘When you look at the whole thing, Max,’ his father said, ‘it looks impossible. But each step is simple. The only difficult thing is focusing on each step.’ His father looked up from the watch pieces and through his thick spectacles at Max. ‘If you can focus on what you need to do right now, and not worry about what you have to do next, everything in life is easy. […]’”

This flashback provides insight into Max’s methodical intellect, grounding it in the teachings of his father, a watchmaker. The analogy of repairing a complex watch serves as a metaphor for how Max approaches overwhelming problems. This episode is one of the few in the book which shows Max engaging closely with one of his parents, adding richness to his backstory and building up emotional tension and empathy.

“‘But being a spy is not about lying, Max. It is about the creation of fictions. […] You have to have a strange relationship with truth to live a fiction, Max. You have to believe the fiction you’re living, and your mind needs to be totally and utterly free from the truth. Except. You cannot lose the truth.’”

Ewen’s speech establishes a key distinction for the spies’ work, directly addressing the theme of Deception as a Tool for Survival and Resistance. The semantic difference between “lying” and “creating fictions” is framed as a complex act necessary for resistance. The use of the emphatic, single-word sentence “Except” highlights the psychological tension a spy must navigate, underscoring the danger of losing one’s identity amid layers of performance.

“But the strangest thing about this dummy, by far, was that it was covered in swastikas. […] And then there was the weirdest one of all: a red swastika, right where the dummy’s private parts should have been.”

The placement of the Nazi symbols on the dummy’s weak points represents a literal and figurative targeting of the enemy’s ideology. This objectifies Nazism into a physical opponent, allowing Max to channel his emotions into the practical skills required for his mission. Associating the swastika with “private parts” is also a visual joke, turning the taboo Nazi symbol into an object of ridicule, and tying into the episode’s wider slapstick humor.

“‘You know what? There are some things that are so important, we will do anything for them. Leave our homes. Ignore what we believe. Betray our friends. Anything.’”

Spoken by Sergeant Thompson, this line provides an external perspective that validates Max’s own motivations. Thompson’s story creates a parallel to Max’s willingness to deceive and endanger himself for his parents. This dialogue encapsulates Max’s less-defined feelings about competing priorities and loyalties, enabling him to see his own principles more clearly.

“‘As a Jew living in Nazi Germany,’ Max explained, ‘that was my whole life.’”

This declaration, the culmination of the poker lesson, is a key moment in Max’s character arc that links his experience of oppression to the art of spy craft. The passage is an example of reversal, as the adult-mentor figures find themselves learning from their protégé, as the novel suggests Max’s personal experience has taught him real lessons about survival that his British trainers are unable to fully appreciate.

“Tiptoeing on the borderline, Max. Or maybe it’s perched on the sword’s edge. Enjoy the good food while we can, take care of our children and the poor, and try to encourage the nation down a path of enlightenment. Because we Jews know far too well what happens when the darkness falls. …”

In this monologue, Lord Rothschild uses the metaphors of “tiptoeing on a borderline” and “perched on the sword’s edge” to articulate the precariousness of Jewish identity in the face of antisemitism. The shift from the action of “tiptoeing” to the “sword’s edge” reflects the escalating threat faced by Jews, grounding the concept in a sense of peril. The imagery “darkness falls” is a deliberate echo of the famous line spoken on the verge of WWI by British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey that “the lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time,” a quote which has become emblematic of the moral and cultural threat of widespread war.

“’Tis better to have lived and lost than never to have lived at all.”

Jean reframes a well-known Tennyson quote to shift Max’s perspective from despair to determination. By substituting “lived” for “loved,” she argues that failure is an integral component of a full existence, rather than a sign of worthlessness. This moment of mentorship provides Max with a new philosophy that allows him to move past his training failures.

“It read: Cholmondeley. […] ‘I’m sorry,’ said Lord Rothschild. ‘What does this mean?’ Lieutenant Cholmondeley replied, ‘It means he’s passed bloody training, that’s what it means.’”

This exchange marks the climax of Max’s training, where his success is revealed through the correct spelling of a name. The quote highlights the motif of obscure British names, demonstrating that mastering the nuances of English identity, symbolized by the non-phonetic name “Cholmondeley,” is the key to his acceptance as a British spy, as he joins the intelligence “establishment.”