Acclamations like ‘haunting’, ‘profound’, ‘powerful’, ‘poignant’ are pinned so casually on every donkey these days, it’s tough to describe your feelings when you actually encounter it. Having finished the novel last night, my sense at the moment is one of deep gratitude; that the novel was written, that I got to read it, that I’ve never experienced anything like the trauma of the Balkans in the 90s, that my life is so comfortable and blessed… I could go on. You get it.
This little book lands in the category of ‘one everybody should have to read’, not for it’s stark portrayal of modern war, but that it depicts the resilience of the human spirit despite them. It’s a testament to the stubborn notion that beauty and truth, love and art, abide despite cruelty. It’s one of those books I wish I was able to write.
You can read a plot synopsis and other reviews at the Amazon link below, but I for one genuinely recommend you purchase (beg, borrow, steal it even) and read it. It’s a worthy of being one of your first books for 2014.
LINK: The Cellist of Sarajevo at Amazon
Hot Space Station Justice 