Reading Corner

I'm reading this controversial book, ("The kindly Ones")a fascinating read in a disturbing way.
Written in French, the book has not been published in English yet, I'm reading it in Hebrew. It's enormous - about 900 pages. I take breaks every few pages because it's very intense.
Written from a point of view of a closeted homosexual SS officer who talks about his part in the war, the language is direct, explicit, graphic and unblinking.
I've just past his account of Babi Yar - for those unfamiliar with the name: This is about the 2 days during which the Jews of Kiev were marched to the edge of the city and were shot to death by the Nazis. More than 30,000 of them in those 2 days, and another 100,000 or so in the months that followed. He talks mainly about the difficulty he and his fellow killers encounter in the process of killing so many people in such a short time.
I find myself suffocating while reading this, yet I can't stop. It's obscene, I suppose.
My father got this book for his birthday, it's a best-seller in Israel these days, but he and my mother refused to keep it. She said it's disgusting and that they don't want to read it, not to mention keeping it in their apartment. She didn't like his frequent mention of various bodily functions, fluids, emissions etc. I must say it doesn't bother me in the least. I find it quite fitting to describe how stinking the violent death of thousands can be.