BOOKS FROM BURUNDISmall Country : A Novel
by Gaël Faye
Tags:
Male author
Description:
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.
Reviews:
(10 months ago) |
03 Dec, 2024
Read 2 Aug 21
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(6 months ago) |
29 Mar, 2025
When Faye wrote about discovering his love for books I immediately felt a greater connection to the author. The idea that he felt like the action of a book was taking place all around him - like his bed was a ship in the sea, or he was reading over the shoulder of Anne - that’s what really drew me into the book because that’s how I often judge whether I like a book or not. If the author manages to create the action all around me. That made to book more of a document of the war seen through a young teen who is also just learning who he is as a person. I’ve read many harrowing and moving accounts about the Rwandan genocide and the war in Burundi and I think I enjoyed this one because it really was about a child thrust into a situation beyond his control and trying to figure out how to cope. I felt it had a universal appeal.
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