I have just completed the reading of “The Last Brother”, by Nathacha Appanah. This story takes place near the end of 1944 and involves a young boy of the age of nine years. His name is Raj and he lives in Mauritius. This location is an island in the Indian Ocean.
As the story unfolds, Raj is retelling his story of his youth on the island, as he is preparing to visit the grave of a long lost friend, David, and he has not visited this grave before. Raj is now seventy years old, and tells his story, I believe for his own benefit, as well as for his son.
He has lost his two brothers and is now moving from his shack of a home with his father and mother to a new location. This story has many ups and downs in the emotional range and I found myself taken in and seeing, breathing and living the story. David, is a nine year old boy who Raj meets as a result of Raj’s discovery of a prison near his new home. Raj’s father, a miserable man, in my estimation, is a guard at this prison. What Raj discovers is that this prison is filled with Jews, something that Raj has never heard of, and why is this little boy David in this prison. Remember, that this story takes place at the end of 1944, during World War II. Raj doesn’t know anything about the war.
Appanah is a wonderful writer. If this story is not a true story, then the author has definitely a way with words in order to bring a fictional story to life. The emotional rollercoaster is beyond compare. I recommend this story to everyone.
As the story unfolds, Raj is retelling his story of his youth on the island, as he is preparing to visit the grave of a long lost friend, David, and he has not visited this grave before. Raj is now seventy years old, and tells his story, I believe for his own benefit, as well as for his son.
He has lost his two brothers and is now moving from his shack of a home with his father and mother to a new location. This story has many ups and downs in the emotional range and I found myself taken in and seeing, breathing and living the story. David, is a nine year old boy who Raj meets as a result of Raj’s discovery of a prison near his new home. Raj’s father, a miserable man, in my estimation, is a guard at this prison. What Raj discovers is that this prison is filled with Jews, something that Raj has never heard of, and why is this little boy David in this prison. Remember, that this story takes place at the end of 1944, during World War II. Raj doesn’t know anything about the war.
Appanah is a wonderful writer. If this story is not a true story, then the author has definitely a way with words in order to bring a fictional story to life. The emotional rollercoaster is beyond compare. I recommend this story to everyone.
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