Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... Small Countryby Gaël Faye
Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. A compelling, heart rendering coming-of-age tale set during the Rwandan genocide and the Burundi civil war. Beautifully written. ( ) Gaby was a ten year old living in Burundi in 1992. His mother was a refugee from Rwanda, his father French. The neighborhood seemed pretty typical of middle class neighborhoods worldwide with the boys hanging out in a clubhouse made of an abandoned car. But things never remain the same. Gangs infiltrated the area bringing guns and drugs. Although the neighborhood seemed safe, leaving it behind became problematic. Gaby’s beloved birthday bike was stolen. And of course, there was increasing talk of unrest in Rwanda; this latter was especially concerning to Gaby’s mother who had relatives, including a sister and her family, still living there. Gaby and his mother took a short holiday to visit the Rwandan relatives, hoping not only to see them but to persuade them to come to safer Burundi. While they were there, intense fighting broke out and Gaby was immediately sent home; his mother decided to stay to see if she could arrange safe passage for her sister and her sister’s three children. She disappeared into the genocide and civil war, as did the rest of her family. Although Gaby and his father remain in their Burundian neighborhood for months, hoping against hope for news of his mother, eventually it became clear that, even with their French passports, it was no longer safe there. They were forced to return to France. Books played a vital part in Gaby’s imposed confinement as he waited in vain for news of his mother. Books brought not only entertainment but hope and an unexpected friendship with the elderly but odd neighbor who owned them. Books play an important role in the ending. This is an intense look at another African tribal genocide (this time Hutu and Tsutsi) and the Rwandan civil war. It is brutal – although much of the brutality takes place ‘off stage’ as it were to be heartbreakingly described later. For me this book was a learn-by-feeling and living experience. I literally cried at the ending. I have a limited understanding of Rwanda and the horrors during the 1990s genocide but, I was aware of the scope of violence during the time period. So, even though it’s right there – printed on the jacket of the book – I was still completely gutted when the events make an appearance in this book. “Small Country” is set in Burundi, a small country neighboring Rwanda and tells the story of Gabriel and his boyhood antics just before war and violence break out. He’s a mischievous yet kind-hearted kid who’s coming-of-age process gets brutally interrupted in an irreversible way. I was a blubbering mess at the end of this book. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Already an international sensation and prize-winning bestseller in France, an evocative coming-of-age story of a young boy, a lost childhood and a shattered homeland. SHORTLISTED FOR THE ALBERTINE PRIZE * NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ESQUIRE * LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN FICTION * LONGLISTED FOR THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE Burundi, 1992. For ten-year-old Gabriel, life in his comfortable expatriate neighborhood of Bujumbura with his French father, Rwandan mother and little sister Ana, is something close to paradise. These are carefree days of laughter and adventure - sneaking Supermatch cigarettes and gorging on stolen mangoes - as he and his mischievous gang of friends transform their tiny cul-de-sac into their kingdom. But dark clouds are gathering over this small country, and soon their peaceful existence will shatter when Burundi, and neighboring Rwanda, are brutally hit by civil war and genocide. A novel of extraordinary power and beauty, Small Country describes an end of innocence as seen through the eyes of a child caught in the maelstrom of history. Shot through with shadows and light, tragedy and humor, it is a stirring tribute not only to a dark chapter in Africa's past, but also to the bright days that preceded it. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)843.92Literature French and related languages French fiction Modern Period 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |