It focuses on the Faehmel family's history, from the end of the 19th century, until that day; it largely reflects the opposition of the author (who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972) to the period of Nazism, as well as his aversion to war in general.

Leonore, Robert Faehmel's secretary, paints a picture of her meticulous boss, whose attention to detail permeates every aspect of his life.

Despite the routine nature of her job, Leonore senses an air of unease, as if something extraordinary lurks beneath the surface.

His mother, Johanna Kilb, was committed to a mental institution because she tried to save Jews from the cattle cars going to the extermination camps.

Meanwhile, Schrella has returned to Germany and talks with Nettlinger, who tries to make amends for his past life despite the fact that he has not really changed, and remains an opportunist.

This act was intended to signal Johanna's inadaptation in a society ruled by "The Buffalo", whose members already forgot the horrors of the world.

Although this separation can be seen as Nazi versus pacifists, it has a deeper meaning: the "Lamb" followers are the free-thinking, kind-hearted ones, not willing to oppress other people while the "Beast" worshippers include the aggressors, the indifferent mass, the ones who subjugate, the accomplices of Totalitarianism.

This complex plot structure allows the characters to be more fully explored as things do not simply happen to them, but are built upon and remembered in a certain way.

Heinrich, Robert and Joseph's stories are linked by the central motif of St. Anthony's Abbey and by the wars and turmoil that they all experience through the years.

Eleven different characters take it in turns to offer a first-person perspective and the point of view shifts with every chapter.

The relationships between father and son, husband and wife, friend and schoolmate, and dissenter and blind follower are examined from many different perspectives.

Most of the plot takes place in the city of Cologne, a direct reflection of Böll's personal history.

In the city, much of the action takes place in the Prince Heinrich Hotel, where Robert plays billiards every weekday.

After the unsettling stupidity of the war, Robert relishes his routine and the habits he needs to make his life ordered again.

For Robert, it's not about winning or losing, it's the physics of the game, of the action and reaction and the laws of science that stay constant no matter what.

In 1965, Billiards at Half-Past Nine was made into a film entitled Not Reconciled directed by Jean-Marie Straub and Danielle Huillet.