Nathacha Appanah

As World War II starts to wind down, Raj, a 9-year-old living in poverty in Mauritius, knows nothing about the war or, it seems, anything else outside of his immediate experience; given that survival for his family is a day-to-day matter, it’s hardly a surprise. One day he is badly beaten and is taken to the hospital of a nearby prison camp where his father is a guard. There he meets David, a boy his own age. David, we learn (though Raj doesn’t until later), is a refugee, one of a group of Jews whose escape from Nazi Germany ended in their extended internment in this camp in Mauritius. A highly destructive island-wide storm allows David to escape with Raj's help. Eventually, the boys flee into the forest which leads in turn to the central tragedy of the story. The story is told by the aging Raj through recollection, interspersed with current-day reflections on aging and (particularly on) loss. I enjoyed this more than I expected and found that the book resonated…and has stayed with me. Recommended.… (more)

In September of 1940 a European ship filled with Jewish refugees was denied entry into Palestine. They were without entry permits and the British sent them to a detainee camp on the Island of Mauritius. This short, poignant, book tells this story through the memories of a native man who befriended another boy, who was in this camp.

When Raj, our narrator, first sees David he is confused as to why the young boy is in jail. Lacking language skills to communicate, their eyes and hand signals draw them into a beautiful relationship built on the innocence of childhood.

Nathacha Appanah was born and lived in Mauritius most of her life. Her vivid descriptions of the landscape on the island drew me in to the point where I could feel the wind, and hear the rustle on forest floor.

This book won't be for everyone. The sadness and despair was strong enough to prevent me from reading too much at one time. At only 169 pages, it should have been a quick read-took me all month. Well worth the time, effort and sadness. Beautiful.
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Raj, the middle brother of three, lives with his parents in a hut in Mauritius during the 1940s until a bad storm kills his older and younger brother. His family moves halfway across the island to Beau-Bassin, where Raj’s father finds work as a prison guard, overseeing European Jewish exiles interned by the British after being turned away from Palestine. While there, Raj befriends a young boy exile named David, and together they escape the tyranny in their lives: an abusive father and prison, respectively. The story is told by a now 70-year old Raj as he visits the grave of his Jewish friend. Nice written and emotionally moving, 3.5 stars.… (more)