Chapter 32: What Came Next – Summary & Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Chapter Summary

Twenty-two years after the events of the war, the narrator—Truth—shakes the story’s snow globe and shows where each character has landed. Nico has become a pathological liar, lying about trivial matters because the trauma of truth burned too deeply. In 1946, while traveling to Budapest, he meets Gunther, a former Nazi guard who proposes a partnership. Gunther tells Nico about gold and jewelry stolen from Jews, hidden in a church basement in Zsámbék. Nico forges a new identity for Gunther, and together they retrieve the crates. As they load the truck, a redheaded boy—the son of the murdered night watchman—shoots Gunther dead for killing his father. The boy refuses the loot, saying it isn’t his. Nico keeps the gold and uses it to finance a series of false identities: a Hungarian teenager in Budapest, a French student in Paris, and finally “Nathan Guidili,” a graduate of the London School of Economics. He moves to Hollywood, where his talent for deceit fits perfectly.

Sebastian and Fannie marry in Salonika and move to Crete, where Sebastian builds a house. Fannie finds contentment as a mother to their daughter Tia, but Sebastian is tormented by nightmares from Auschwitz. He secretly writes a nine-page letter to a Vienna-based Nazi hunter, detailing the crimes of SS officers, especially Udo Graf. The Nazi hunter replies, inviting Sebastian to Vienna. Fannie begs him not to go, fearing Austria and more violence. When Sebastian insists, Fannie accuses him of wanting revenge against his brother Nico. Sebastian denies it, but the narrator confirms that a part of him does indeed want to track down Nico and bring him to justice, alongside Udo.

The chapter ends with Sebastian hiding his letters from Fannie, and Fannie concealing her own secret—that she saw Nico again on the Danube and believes he saved her life. Udo, meanwhile, has become a spy, though his story is not yet explored in detail.

Key Events

Nico slips into pathological lying after Auschwitz, lying about everyday things.
On a train to Budapest, Nico meets Gunther, a former Nazi guard who offers a share of hidden Nazi loot in exchange for a forged passport.
Nico forges the passport; three months later they retrieve four crates of gold and jewelry from a ruined church.
A redheaded boy, son of the night watchman Gunther killed, shoots Gunther dead; Nico keeps the crates.
Nico uses the stolen wealth to create multiple false identities, eventually graduating from the London School of Economics and moving to Hollywood.
Sebastian and Fannie marry and settle in Crete; Sebastian builds a house and they have a daughter, Tia.
Fannie finds contentment as a mother; Sebastian suffers from PTSD and secretly contacts a Nazi hunter in Vienna.
Fannie opposes moving to Austria; Sebastian argues that he needs vengeance.
The narrator reveals that Sebastian wants not only to catch Udo Graf but also to see his brother Nico punished.
Both Sebastian and Fannie keep secrets from each other: Sebastian hides his correspondence and his prior marriage to Rivka; Fannie hides that Nico saved her.

Character Development

Nico Krispis – Once a truthful child, Nico now suffers from pathological lying, a direct result of the trauma of seeing the Holocaust’s horrors and his own role in the deception. He becomes wealthy through forgery and deception, but he remains emotionally detached, unable to form close relationships. His adoption of the name “Nathan Guidili” from his grandfather’s story suggests a deep, ironic identification with a person who used his skills to survive.

Sebastian – Haunted by the camps, Sebastian cannot let go of his anger. His jealousy over Fannie’s past with Nico festers; his nightly terrors and his secret contact with the Nazi hunter reveal a man obsessed with retribution. His decision to hide the letters from Fannie shows how war trauma warps even good intentions.

Fannie – Fannie matures from a frightened girl into a contented mother. She finds peace in domestic life, but she still carries burdens: she never tells Sebastian about Nico’s later kindness, and she dreads returning to Austria. Her plea—”Do I get my father back?”—captures her desire to move forward rather than seek revenge.

Udo Graf – Mentioned only briefly as having become a spy and having escaped from a Polish hospital. He remains a looming threat and target for Sebastian.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Truth and Lies – The chapter explores lies that protect and lies that destroy. Nico’s pathological lying stems from unbearable truth; Sebastian’s “kind” omission about his first marriage; Fannie’s silence about Nico’s rescue. The narrator, Truth, notes that spouses often deceive by omission, deeming the truth “too agitating.”
Trauma and Its Aftermath – Twenty-two years have not healed Sebastian or Nico. The camps continue to dictate their lives: Nico cannot stop lying; Sebastian cannot stop seeing the dead. Fannie manages to find contentment, but even she is marked by loss.
Justice vs. Revenge – Sebastian frames his hunt as justice, but the narrator suggests it is also a personal grudge. Fannie’s question—whether justice can bring back the dead—highlights the futility of revenge.
The Snow Globe Metaphor – The chapter opens with the image of shaking a snow globe. It signals a shift in the narrative, showing how time and distance do not break the characters’ intertwined fates; they simply rearrange the pieces.

Why This Chapter Matters

“What Came Next” is a pivot point in the novel. It skips over two decades to show the long-term consequences of the war on each main character. Nico’s descent into compulsive lying and his financial “success” in Hollywood echo the theme of false identities; Sebastian’s turn toward vengeance sets up a future confrontation; Fannie’s domestic contentment provides a quiet counterpoint. The chapter also introduces the Nazi hunter subplot, which will likely drive the remaining story. By revealing that Sebastian wants to bring both Udo and Nico to justice, the chapter deepens the personal stakes and foreshadows an eventual reckoning between the brothers.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Nico become a pathological liar after the war?

Nico’s trauma from Auschwitz—especially his realization that he helped the Nazis by telling the truth—makes him unable to face reality. Lying becomes a coping mechanism that shields him from the painful truth. He lies about trivial things, not for gain, but because truth itself now feels unbearable.

2. How does Sebastian’s secret correspondence with the Nazi hunter affect his relationship with Fannie?

Sebastian hides his letters and his intention to move to Austria, which causes a rift when Fannie discovers the plan. She accuses him of wanting revenge against Nico, and though he denies it, the narrator confirms the accusation. The secrecy erodes trust; Fannie feels her peaceful life is threatened, and Sebastian prioritizes his need for justice over her wish to leave the past behind.

3. What does the redheaded boy’s refusal of the stolen gold symbolize?

The boy refuses the loot because “it’s not mine,” suggesting a moral clarity that contrasts sharply with the adult characters’ entanglements with guilt and greed. His act implies that true innocence rejects ill-gotten gain, and it forces Nico to keep the gold, thereby tying him further to the cycle of deceit and profit from suffering.