Father of One by Jani Anttola
Publisher: The Book Guild
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Review by: AstilbeMaka, a young Bosnian soldier, has survived three years under siege. When the enemy forces launch their final attack on his hometown, he must escape to the hills. But traversing the vast woods is a task against all odds: to stay alive, and to find his infant son and his wife, he is soon forced to make a desperate move.
Set against the harrowing background of raging guerrilla warfare and the genocide in Srebrenica, Father of One is, at heart, a story of deep humanity, compassion and love. It is the account of one man’s desire to reunite his family, separated by war, and of bonds unbroken by trauma, sustained by loyalty and tenacity. Writing in a voice that rings with clarity and authenticity, Jani Anttola lays open a dark moment in Europe’s recent history.
Knowledge is a powerful weapon.
War makes many forms of communication difficult or even impossible. The most memorable scenes in my opinion were the ones that showed how the characters coped with not knowing as much about their loved ones and the world at large as they would normally expect. Whether it was knowing if someone was still alive or if they should trust a stranger, there were many moments that were filled with danger and uncertainty that would not have otherwise been there. This was where Mr. Anttola’s writing style shone brightly as he gave the audience many examples of how the characters dealt with all of these unknowns.
I struggled with the slow pacing, especially given the subject matter. War is a difficult topic to discuss, and there were times I thought the author’s thoughts about it would have been easier to understand if this were a shorter read. While the detailed descriptions did give me a vivid mental image of what Maka and his fellow soldiers were enduring, it also slowed down the storyline at times when I would have preferred things to move along a little faster.
This book did an excellent job of exploring how even seemingly tranquil moments can still be traumatic for a soldier in retrospect. Not knowing when violence is going to erupt again can make it extremely difficult to take care of basic human needs like eating, sleeping, bathing, or using the bathroom. Nobody should live on high alert twenty-four hours a day for years on end, and yet this was what Maka had to do in order to have any chance at all to survive. The effects on his mental and physical health were serious but left understated in some places so readers could figure out for themselves what was happening with him.
Father of One was a sobering read.
