A review by soniek
The Fixer: A Story from Sarajevo by Joe Sacco
3.0
The Fixer is about Neven, a fixer from Sarajevo. Joe Sacco met him in his first trip to Sarajevo during the seige in the 90's. While the story is about Neven, it describes the situation in Sarajevo during the war.
So far, I had only heard of Sarajevo in the song "Bosnia" by the Cranberries, and I remember hearing about Bosnian war in the news when I was a child. I only knew that there was a war in Bosnia, why was it fought, who fought it and who won, were things that I never got to, or cared to learn, because these were events in a country far away. And unlike the Middle Eastern conflict, European conflicts of the 90's were short-lived in global news.
And so, this novel answered all my questions (a quick Wikipedia reference of Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Sarajevo also helped!). The story jumps to and fro, it starts with the present when Sacco revisits Sarajevo in the 2000's and goes back in the 90's to when he first met Neven, to further back about Neven's alleged exploits in the war.
While Neven's own stories and claims are depicted to be doubtful because of his reputation, the major incidents, the 3 main paramilitary leaders who played key roles in the war, are accurate and help the reader get an idea of the situation in Sarajevo during the war. There are no right sides. Neven is a Serb who joins forces to fight the Serbs. He claims he's killed many people as a sniper. Others tell Sacco that Neven is bluffing. That many personal combats of his never even happened. Neven narrates "the true story" behind many major incidents which neither Sacco nor we have any way of cross-checking. By the end of the war, Neven as well as the 3 key leaders receive mixed responses. While "the war left behind Neven, instead of the other way around", the other 3 leaders meet different treatments from the government, some good, some bad.
Just like we are confused about the truth in Neven's stories, he and everyone who fought in the war are left confused about the purpose of the war: Who won? Who lost? Was it fair? Where do their loyalties eventually lie? Even the final death count is unclear. The only thing that is an obvious fact is that Sarajevo burned, it's citizens were trapped in their own city, evicted from their homes or killed inside.
The story is not very clear and concise. It runs as a narration by Sacco about what Neven told him. Maybe it is deliberate, to tell things straight from the horse's mouth and hence preserve the confusion in the mind of a fighter.
I also loved the visuals in this novel. Sacco's work is beautiful, it's dark and intricate. It clearly depicts the bloodshed, the filth, the cruelty, terror, pain and other emotions in people's faces. The 2 full pages showing Sacco entering Sarajevo during the war, against a backdrop of burning skyscrapers and an overcast sky (by clouds or smoke?) was the visual highlight of this book.
To summarize, I appreciate books like these which bring stories from underrepresented global events.
So far, I had only heard of Sarajevo in the song "Bosnia" by the Cranberries, and I remember hearing about Bosnian war in the news when I was a child. I only knew that there was a war in Bosnia, why was it fought, who fought it and who won, were things that I never got to, or cared to learn, because these were events in a country far away. And unlike the Middle Eastern conflict, European conflicts of the 90's were short-lived in global news.
And so, this novel answered all my questions (a quick Wikipedia reference of Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Sarajevo also helped!). The story jumps to and fro, it starts with the present when Sacco revisits Sarajevo in the 2000's and goes back in the 90's to when he first met Neven, to further back about Neven's alleged exploits in the war.
While Neven's own stories and claims are depicted to be doubtful because of his reputation, the major incidents, the 3 main paramilitary leaders who played key roles in the war, are accurate and help the reader get an idea of the situation in Sarajevo during the war. There are no right sides. Neven is a Serb who joins forces to fight the Serbs. He claims he's killed many people as a sniper. Others tell Sacco that Neven is bluffing. That many personal combats of his never even happened. Neven narrates "the true story" behind many major incidents which neither Sacco nor we have any way of cross-checking. By the end of the war, Neven as well as the 3 key leaders receive mixed responses. While "the war left behind Neven, instead of the other way around", the other 3 leaders meet different treatments from the government, some good, some bad.
Just like we are confused about the truth in Neven's stories, he and everyone who fought in the war are left confused about the purpose of the war: Who won? Who lost? Was it fair? Where do their loyalties eventually lie? Even the final death count is unclear. The only thing that is an obvious fact is that Sarajevo burned, it's citizens were trapped in their own city, evicted from their homes or killed inside.
The story is not very clear and concise. It runs as a narration by Sacco about what Neven told him. Maybe it is deliberate, to tell things straight from the horse's mouth and hence preserve the confusion in the mind of a fighter.
I also loved the visuals in this novel. Sacco's work is beautiful, it's dark and intricate. It clearly depicts the bloodshed, the filth, the cruelty, terror, pain and other emotions in people's faces. The 2 full pages showing Sacco entering Sarajevo during the war, against a backdrop of burning skyscrapers and an overcast sky (by clouds or smoke?) was the visual highlight of this book.
To summarize, I appreciate books like these which bring stories from underrepresented global events.