by Gaël Faye
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.
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-
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The horrors of the Rwandan genocide are dramatized in this novel, told through the eyes of 11-year-old Gabriel. Dominic Hoffman is the thoughtful narrator this title needs; his pensive style highlights the poignancy of a childhood interrupted by civil war. As Gabriel recollects his idyllic neighborhood and friendships in Burundi before the unrest in neighboring Rwanda, Hoffman's wistful tone underlines the intrusion of violence on this specific child and the population in general. Listeners will appreciate being taken gently into a historical moment we all wish had not happened but cannot afford to look away from. This story of loss and resilience will linger with the listener long after it has ended. M.R. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
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September 15, 2018
In this debut, French singer/rapper Faye transforms his own background into an impressive, searing coming-of-age novel about a Burundian family's implosion during the 1990s. What seemed like an idyllic, privileged childhood for ten-year-old Gabriel--made memorable by mischievous adventures with close friends--begins to unravel with the harsh discord cleaving his French father from his Rwandan mother. His parents' personal disintegration mirrors Burundi's political chaos, the terror and tragedy exacerbated by the Tutsi/Hutu genocide exploding next door in Rwanda. Alliances, loyalties, even passports become moot: the massacres leave few unscathed. Gaby bears witness, his distress growing over his unreliable parents, confusion about his own mixed-race identity, and shock at the unrelenting casual violence even among his tween companions. He finds temporary respite in books offered by a neighbor, but little can assuage the horrors around him. Escape comes at an exorbitantly high price. Chimerical narrator Dominic Hoffman embodies youthful Gaby with a chilling mix of exuberance and fear; he's equally affecting as Gaby's elders--from dismissive colonial expats and demanding foreigners to abusive militia and petrified victims. VERDICT With the novel already an internationally best-selling, major prize-winning achievement, this indelible audio edition should be widely available. ["Faye eloquently speaks to the untenable choices, among love of country, family, or survival, that victims in conflict zones are forced to make": LJ 4/15/18 review of the Hogarth: Crown hc.]--Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC
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