Three German soldiers — all middle-aged reservists — set out from their base in occupied Poland during the Second World War. Their job is to capture a Jew, any Jew, and return him to their base to be shot. It is a job they have asked for, as the alternative is to stay at the base and shoot Jews who have been rounded up by others. They manage to find a young Jewish man in hiding. And then they have a meal. That is the entire book — and it is magnificent.

Mingarelli is a master of short fiction about men in wartime (judging by the two books of his I have already read). These are quiet books, thoughtful ones, and they tell deeply sad stories.

Highly recommended.