Cynthia R. (nursecyndie) reviewed Fictional Characters bring light to nonfiction tragedies on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I didn't realize this book was a work of fiction. I think in many ways, it isn't. The problem with Left to Tell or Long Way Gone, the people tell their true stories in a less emotional way. Although the stories are sad, they seem to separate themselves from it and focus on the present. I appreciate that. But in this book, Akpan doesn't take away the emotion from the events. He tells the stories through fictious characters, but I would guess many details are unfortunately true. The police corruption, the religious and ethnic cleansing, and most painful for me, the genocide in Rwanda. The last story in this book covers Rwanda's battle between the Hutus and Tutsis. It left me feeling...different..sad, enraged, ill. It touched me more than Left to Tell could, because in this case, we don't get to see the happier ending or the hope. Instead we see the pain that families went through during the beginning of this crisis. Not all the stories are as painful. Also, be aware that Pidgin English is used in this book.
