Chapter 39 Summary: Hollywood, 1980

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

Summary

In 1980, Nico—now known in Hollywood as “The Financier”—privately screens a film he financed about a German clown who tricks Jewish children into boarding death-camp trains and ultimately walks into a gas chamber. He watches it repeatedly, disturbed by its resonance with his own past. The projectionist, a nervous new hire, breaks the strict rule of silence during screenings. Meanwhile, the narrator asks: Did Fannie ever find Nico? A twelve-year timeline follows. From 1968 to 1980, Fannie returns to Europe, stays with Gizella, confronts the redheaded man who delivers annual payments, and learns the money may originate from crates hidden by a Nazi (young Nico). She travels to Israel, visits Yad Vashem, and experiences deep grief over untold truths. After Gizella’s death in 1975, Fannie threatens the courier with a pistol and deduces the sender could be the young Nazi she saw on the Danube. In 1977 she moves to Los Angeles with postcards from Katalin Karády, gets a job at a diner, and eventually lands a training position at Nico’s studio. In 1980, when her trainer retires, Fannie becomes the private projectionist for The Financier—Nico himself—without him knowing her identity.

Key Events

Nico watches a disturbing film about a clown who deceives children into death camps.
The projectionist breaks the “no speaking” rule; Nico reacts coldly.
A twelve-year summary of Fannie’s search begins in 1968.
Fannie confronts the redheaded courier multiple times; in 1976 she threatens him with a pistol.
The courier reveals the money came from crates hidden in a church by Nazis, and that one of the men who retrieved them was a young Nazi (implied to be Nico).
Fannie travels to Los Angeles in 1977, finds studio work, and in 1980 replaces the retiring projectionist for The Financier.

Character Development

Nico (The Financier): Has become a reclusive, powerful Hollywood figure who finances films about deception and guilt. He repeatedly watches a movie that mirrors his own wartime acts, suggesting unresolved trauma.
Fannie: Transforms from a grieving survivor into a determined investigator. Her grief surfaces at Yad Vashem, but she cannot yet speak the Truth. Over twelve years she learns English, adapts to a new country, and strategically infiltrates the film industry.
Gizella: Dies peacefully after asking Fannie to remove her eye patch, affirming their bond (“He is waiting for you”). Her death marks a turning point for Fannie’s resolve.
Redheaded man: Initially an anonymous courier, he becomes a source of crucial clues about the origin of the money and the young Nazi.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs Actually Evidenced Here

Deception and Reality: The film’s process (upside-down frames, 24 frames per second) is described as “some kind of deception,” mirroring the clown’s lies and Nico’s hidden past. The blurred line between cinema and truth reflects the characters’ lives.
Annual Payments as Atonement: The yearly money delivered on August 10 suggests ongoing guilt or compensation from Nico, though Fannie remains unaware until late in the chapter.
The Gas Chamber Image: The film’s final scene—the clown entering the gas chamber—parallels Nico’s own role in the death camp trains and his inability to escape the memory.
Unspoken Truth: At Yad Vashem, Fannie cannot speak about her experiences; the memorial itself is described with a term (Holocaust) she rejects, emphasizing the inadequacy of words for atrocity.
Identity Concealed: Both Nico and Fannie operate under hidden identities—he as The Financier, she as an anonymous projectionist—until the chapter’s revelation.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter resolves a central narrative question: whether Fannie would ever find Nico. After years of patient investigation, she strategically places herself directly in his workspace as his private projectionist. The chapter ties together the annual money deliveries, the church crates, and the young Nazi on the Danube, confirming that Nico has been the source of the payments. It also deepens Nico’s character by showing his obsession with a film that reflects his own guilt. The final scene—Fannie assuming the projectionist role—sets up a tense confrontation in which she holds power over the man who once deceived her.

Study Questions

Why does Nico watch the film about the clown multiple times, and what does it reveal about his psychological state?
Answer: The film’s plot—a clown who tricks children into death camps—mirrors Nico’s own actions during the war. Watching it repeatedly suggests he is tormented by guilt and is trying to process his complicity. The fact that he finances and screens such stories indicates he may be seeking a form of confession or punishment.
What clues lead Fannie to suspect that Nico is the source of the annual money payments?
Answer: The redheaded courier explains that the money came from crates hidden by Nazis in a church, and that one man who retrieved them was a young Nazi. Fannie recalls seeing a young Nazi on the Danube—Nico. The courier also says the money may be “the money my father died for,” linking it to the church crates that Nico helped steal.
How does Fannie’s journey from 1968 to 1980 demonstrate her growth as a character?
Answer: Over twelve years, she moves from helpless grief (staying with Gizella, weeping at Yad Vashem) to active pursuit of answers. She learns English, endures rejection, and uses her resourcefulness to land a job at Nico’s studio. Her threat with a pistol and her strategic infiltration show a woman who has hardened her resolve and is no longer a passive victim.