THE extraordinary story of a young Jewish boy and an SS extermination squad.

Ten years ago the author found himself sitting opposite his father Alex in a darkened Melbourne kitchen uncovering a truth which sounded like an unbelievable fiction.

Caught up in the violence of the Second World War, his father witnessed the brutal murder of his family at the age of five.

He escaped to the forest where he lived alone for several months by eating woodland plants before falling into the hands of a Latvian police battalion.

They adopted him as their mascot and dressed him up in a custom-made uniform. He witnessed scenes of horror as the squad became part of an SS unit on the rampage.

A sergeant knew he was Jewish, but kept his secret. Alex Kurzem managed to conceal his past all his life, but not forever.

A disturbing yet compelling read.