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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Éclaire vrm sur le genocide des Tutsis mais pas que au Rwanda.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
This one has a very slow start, establishing Gaby's innocent childhood where he is able to live ignorant of politics. I understand that this is intended to create a contrast with the horrors once things pick up and plays into the main theme that anyone can become wrapped up in the fervor of fear and retribution, even an innocent child. But, it makes the book feel very slow, despite being less than 200 pages.
That said, the previously mentioned main theme is executed very well and confronts the ugly reality of the situation. There is a moment in the book where Gaby is still trying to cling to his childhood and not pay attention to the politics crashing down around him and becomes absorbed in reading. A lesser novel would have taken this as a route to say that reading freed Gaby from fear and hatred, provided a shelter to him, and saved him by making him more enlightened than his peers. But all focusing on these escapes from reality does is just that, provide a small escape to ignore the situation. It doesn't protect him, and when tragedy does strike close to him, he is just as vulnerable to the pressure and fervor as anyone else.
I also find his relationship with his deeply traumatized mother very intriguing. It's a relatively minor theme, but the tension surrounding her trauma and need for care versus the idea that he and his sister should be able to experience their childhood without hearing about the horrors she lived through is a very interesting idea to explore when the children themselves are so close to war amyway and have only been as isolated from it as they had been at that point because of their white father. The white father who of course also does not provide any much needed care or empathy to the mother because he has the ability to choose whether or not to be exposed to the horrors that she could not escape as a Tutsi woman.
It's a beautiful novel that resonates deeply today as someone living in country quickly hurdling towards nationalistic and ethnic violence, but is a bit difficult to get through moreso because of the pacing than the subject matter. 4⭐️
That said, the previously mentioned main theme is executed very well and confronts the ugly reality of the situation. There is a moment in the book where Gaby is still trying to cling to his childhood and not pay attention to the politics crashing down around him and becomes absorbed in reading. A lesser novel would have taken this as a route to say that reading freed Gaby from fear and hatred, provided a shelter to him, and saved him by making him more enlightened than his peers. But all focusing on these escapes from reality does is just that, provide a small escape to ignore the situation. It doesn't protect him, and when tragedy does strike close to him, he is just as vulnerable to the pressure and fervor as anyone else.
I also find his relationship with his deeply traumatized mother very intriguing. It's a relatively minor theme, but the tension surrounding her trauma and need for care versus the idea that he and his sister should be able to experience their childhood without hearing about the horrors she lived through is a very interesting idea to explore when the children themselves are so close to war amyway and have only been as isolated from it as they had been at that point because of their white father. The white father who of course also does not provide any much needed care or empathy to the mother because he has the ability to choose whether or not to be exposed to the horrors that she could not escape as a Tutsi woman.
It's a beautiful novel that resonates deeply today as someone living in country quickly hurdling towards nationalistic and ethnic violence, but is a bit difficult to get through moreso because of the pacing than the subject matter. 4⭐️