THE BOOK FAIR

Review:

Based on the Yugoslavian war during the 1990’s, the story, captivating from the first page, is divided into four parts and moves back and forth through time.

 

1991:  Ana leads the life normal life of a school aged girl until division comes and neighbors base friendliness on accents and ethnicity.  Bombings and airstrikes change the pattern of their daily lives.  Food shortages, black outs, gunfire and death become the norm.  On the particular day Ana’s parents seek help to save their baby daughter, Ana’s sickly sister, tragedy strikes and Ana’s life changes forever.  To survive and stay alive, Ana joins bands of warrior children.

2001:  Ana lives a normal life in New Jersey with her family, has a boyfriend, and is a student of English Literature in Manhattan.  Ana has everything that she wants except peace in that she cannot put the war and the atrocities behind her.  Ana decides to return to Croatia and confront the ghosts of the past.

 

The novel, descriptive and succinctly written, offers the Croatian view of the war and is the author’s first novel.   The author has lived in both Croatia and the U.S. and currently resides in Queens, NY.