Badenheim 1939 by Aharon Appelfeld, opens with the description of a peaceful and beautiful town named Badenheim being visited by some average Jewish guests. The visitors think they are going to Badenheim to relax and to have some fun like they normally do. However, the Sanitation Department has other plans for these guests. The Sanitation Department begins carrying out many inspections asking random questions about the guests. The guests are then forced to register with the department and before they know it, their being shipped off to Poland. Even though this was a sudden change, there were many hints along the way to warn the guests of this, and if they only kept their eyes open, the guests could have changed their fate.

Towards the beginning of the guests stay, an announcement appeared on the notice board saying that all citizens who were Jews had to register with the...