Kevin Sullivan (13)

The Longest Winter is beautifully written and incredibly moving.

Kevin Sullivan is an ex-journalist who experienced the Bosnian war first hand and that understanding and experience is evident in his writing. This is not a book that could have been written by somebody without that experience.

There are three main characters: Terry a British doctor who has come to Bosnia to escort a sick child back to London for urgent treatment, Brad, an American journalist dealing with his own demons from past show more conflict zones and Milena, a Bosnian woman who turned her back on the hatred and brutality that had taken over her own town.

When Terry’s flight lands in Sarajevo, her arrival has not been well organised and she is left to fend for herself. It is easy to have sympathy for her, however, like Terry herself, the reader gradually begins to see that her trials pale into insignificance in comparison with the real problems that those in Sarajevo, particularly the hospital, face every day.

This is the most thought provoking book I have read in a long time. The speed with which ordinary towns like those we live in descended into chaos and death is shocking, as is the nature of combat in civil war. The story takes place in the centre of Sarajevo, where civilians live only 500 yards from the front line with gun fire and shells exploding around them.

Despite this the people try to carry on living a normal life. The televised annual song contest goes ahead, even though hardly anywhere has electricity, and friends still gather for parties. And when the pre-war normal is no longer possible, a new kind of normal is created, there is an acceptance.

Another striking feature for me was the merging of civilian and military: the geeky, bohemian Zlatko, a university student just months earlier was now a translator and escort for foreign journalists, helping government and military officials, while government soldiers are dressed in jeans and trainers. The only difference between them is that the soldiers carry guns.

The Longest Winter would make a great book for a reading group as there are so many potential talking points: the recurring theme of difficulty with communication, the parallels that Sullivan draws between the individual relationships and the war, and how the simplicity of the language he uses emphasises the awfulness of the events.

I can’t recommend this book enough. show less