The Little Liar

Fannie finds Katalin’s shop and speaks to her in Hungarian. This makes Katalin suspicious. Fannie tells Katalin that she was one of the children who was saved on the banks of the Danube River. Katalin states that she wasn’t the one to save them; the boy who hid her gold from the Arrow Cross deserves the credit. Fannie interrogates Katalin about the young man, and she reveals that he sends money to Holocaust survivors each year on August 10; the man sends a postcard to Katalin every year as well. Katalin tells Fannie that if she wants to find that man, she needs to find out who made the movies that are pictured on the front of the postcards.

In 1978, Sebastian continues to dedicate himself to the Nazi Hunter, becoming one of his top staffers. He lives alone in a small apartment and rarely speaks to Fannie or Tia, finding it frustrating to have to explain himself to them. Sebastian takes note that a Nazi march will take place in Skokie, Illinois, where over 7,000 Holocaust survivors live. Sebastian convinces the Nazi Hunter to allow him to go to the march to look for former Nazis. He flies to the United States, hoping to find clues about Udo Graf and Nico. In Washington, DC, Udo has also noticed the upcoming march. Because the event will take place in a small town, Udo judges it to be too risky, but when the march is moved to Chicago, he decides to attend.

At the march, Udo is disappointed to see hundreds of people protesting against the Nazis. When the so-called Nazis arrive, Udo is angered to see that they only care about segregation, not promoting Hitler’s ideal of “the master race” (262). Suddenly, he hears someone scream his name and sees Sebastian standing on the opposite side of the crowd. Udo runs to a police officer and claims that Sebastian has a gun. He runs from the park and jumps onto a bus. Meanwhile, Sebastian tries to catch up with Udo, but he is stopped by police officers. Once freed, Sebastian remembers that he has taken many pictures of Udo. The Nazi Hunter warns Sebastian to be careful because the United States won’t take kindly to the accusation that the country is harboring Nazis. Afterward, Sebastian tries to call Fannie, who is now his ex-wife.

Nico sits in an empty auditorium and asks the projectionist to play his most recent movie. The movie is about a German clown who performs for Jewish children and convinces them to climb aboard the trains to the death camps. Feeling guilty, the clown goes to Auschwitz and takes the hand of a child; they enter the gas chamber together. When the movie ends, the projectionist claims that the movie is “heartbreaking,” and Nico asks the projectionist to replay the movie.

The narrative shifts back to describe Fannie’s actions over the years. In 1968, after meeting Katalin, Fannie returns to Hungary with the postcards. In 1969, she visits Gizella and confronts the red-haired man who brought Gizella money on August 10, but she is unable to discover anything. In 1971, she returns to Gizella’s home to force the red-haired man to tell her about the money, but to no avail. Her health decreases, and she dies in 1975. In 1976, Fannie confronts the red-haired man with a gun and forces him to tell her about the money. She learns that the red-haired man was the child of the guard that killed Gunther on the night he and Nico stole the gold. In 1977, Fannie arrives in Los Angeles. In 1978, she discovers who created the movies featured on Katalin’s postcards and waits in the studio’s reception area every day for eight months until they have a job opening. In 1979, Fannie obtains a job at the studio but is unable to meet Nico. In 1980, Fannie becomes Nico’s private projectionist.

Truth explains that in 1980, all four characters must confront a part of their past. After Sebastian sees Udo in Chicago, he investigates but finds nothing. Eventually, he meets a Jewish woman whose brother-in-law is a senator; the senator agrees to meet with Sebastian in his office in Washington, DC. Sebastian calls Fannie to tell her the news, but she only warns him to be careful. Sebastian asks if he can visit her after he catches Udo, and Fannie refuses.

After seeing Sebastian in Chicago, Udo is on high alert. He calls some of his SS connections and is warned not to call anyone else in case the phone lines have been wiretapped. Several months pass. One day, as Udo enters Senator Carter’s office, he sees Sebastian approaching the reception desk. The pair make eye contact, and Udo runs into an elevator.

Fannie, who has just become a projectionist, tries to find Nico as he leaves work. She follows him home and watches as he goes inside. She returns to Nico's apartment for several days, confused as to why a wealthy businessman like Nico lives in a “poor neighborhood.” Eventually, Nico leaves his home, and Fannie follows him to a nearby Jewish cemetery where he begins to clean the tombstones. Seeing this, Fannie realizes that there is no doubt that this man is Nico.

The narrative returns to the auditorium scene in Part 5, Chapter 4, in which an unnamed projectionist plays a film for Nico. Now, Nico asks why the projectionist things the movie is “heartbreaking.” The woman turns to him, allowing Nico to recognize her. Fannie states that the movie feels real, but Nico walks away from her without asking her name.