I've read Morpurgo's War Horse before, so let's see if this one is just as good. Spoilers ahead.
Aman, a young refugee from Afghanistan who is currently being held by the English authorities, recounts his story to the grandfather of his best friend, Matt. We learn everything Aman experienced up until that point, and Matt's grandfather in turn tries to do anything he can to help the boy and his mother be able to stay, rather than being deported back to Afghanistan.
God, this one just hits you right in the guts. War Horse was already a difficult read at points, but this one possibly was even more upsetting. I don't even have much to say about this book. It's topical, it's heart-wrenching, it's realistic, yet also a bit hopeful for the future.
Based on the cover and Morpurgo's other book I've read, I thought this story was going to revolve around the titular Shadow herself and be written from her POV (like War Horse was written around Joey the horse), but it's not. And I actually think it works better. here Rather, Shadow is a key player in some events in Aman's past. She was one of his only friends and creatures she could comfort in back in his home country, and just a true hero.
She may not be the main character, but honestly I think that it works that Aman and Grandpa are the main characters. Even Matt, Aman's best friend who is the one to send his grandfather to look up Aman in the detention center, isn't really a main character. He only has a few POV chapters, but the story is mostly told by Aman and Grandpa. And that works really well.
Overall I don't really have any critique here. This is a dark and emotional yet sadly realistic and poignant take on the current refugee situation. I liked this book even more than War Horse. It's paced well, the characters feel real and genuine and I never wanted to put down the book before I finished it.
Rating: 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment