Review of The Reluctant Refugee
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Kutloano Makhuvhela
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Review of The Reluctant Refugee
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Reluctant Refugee" by George M Decsy.]
The Reluctant Refugee by George M Decsy is a long tale about a boy who escapes from a country of his own because of social unrest and wars. George’s life has never been easy from the start. He is described as a person who has a surviving spirit and always perseveres, no matter what. Many things have transpired in his life, and in this book, he lays them bare for everybody to read. This book is raw, revealing, and poignant.
The book opens with a scene of a man who is somewhat disgruntled about the past, although on the outside he looks content. He is wondering about someone from his past who played a crucial role in his life back then. He is not sure if he is still there, let alone if he is still alive, because it has been so long. The man reflects on these memories that he looks like he suppressed for reasons only known to him. Now the man has his little family. There are things and people from the past that they have to search for and meet to fill the gaps in the past and provide answers.
The book then goes back to Hungary in the late 1950s, when the country was engulfed by socialism and communism. A boy there enjoys his life. He is proud to be wearing a new uniform and to be mesmerised by Uncle Joe. He even wishes to be like him one day. He and his friend Laci have adventures and play games together. One day, there is upheaval in the streets. The boy witnesses the marching, the flag-waving of the communist flag, and other events that make him certain that things will never be the same. His family Is forced to run away. They also have their internal struggles; the boy is not happy with how quickly things have escalated and he rarely gets the answers to his many questions. The uncertainty of the future scares him. How will they fare in the country they are going to? He has moved from one place to another, is separated from his loved ones, and is alone.
I initially did not enjoy reading this book. But as it progressed and shed light on what was happening, I started enjoying it. The beginning of the book was slightly uninviting. That was because of the writing skill of the author. There were too many mysteries to be solved, and no one was given to at least satisfy the curiosity of the reader. The narration felt disconnected; sentences were not flowing together. It was like each stood on its own and did not finish the last one’s thoughts. But the conclusion was different. I guess that was because everything had been answered and made sense. So the writing did not matter anymore; the story did.
This is a memoir, and it is very rare to find memoirs that balance narration and dialogue. The former always comes on top, and the latter is used in sprinkles to make the story exciting. And that was the case, too, on this one. The organisation of the book was done well. The chapters were rather long, but they each had a theme they focused on, so I was not thrown off. The timeline made the story exciting. It started in the present, then moved to the past, where the narrator was a boy, and then came back again to the present. The boy’s narration was not the same as the man’s. The difference was easily noticed, and this did not confuse me as a reader.
The story was very moving. It was written in such a way that I was rooting for the narrator. Sometimes he was saying things that I disagreed with; I thought they were stupid and outright dangerous, but I kept in mind that he was young and did not know any better; now he does. Because we spent a lot of time with the narrator, this made him feel intimate with me. That’s why such stories require first-person narration. The author wrote the story as it happened. He did not hold back, even in moments that were rather sensitive and personal. This showed how real and honest he was.
That’s why I am happy to rate this book four out of five stars. I removed one star because of the opening of the book, as I have explained in great detail above. I think it was exceptionally edited because I saw no errors. The quality of the book was very high. There was a frequent use of strong language. Because of that, I recommend that this book be read by late teenagers and young adults. It’s a good memoir that you should read.
******
The Reluctant Refugee
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Reluctant Refugee by George M Decsy is a long tale about a boy who escapes from a country of his own because of social unrest and wars. George’s life has never been easy from the start. He is described as a person who has a surviving spirit and always perseveres, no matter what. Many things have transpired in his life, and in this book, he lays them bare for everybody to read. This book is raw, revealing, and poignant.
The book opens with a scene of a man who is somewhat disgruntled about the past, although on the outside he looks content. He is wondering about someone from his past who played a crucial role in his life back then. He is not sure if he is still there, let alone if he is still alive, because it has been so long. The man reflects on these memories that he looks like he suppressed for reasons only known to him. Now the man has his little family. There are things and people from the past that they have to search for and meet to fill the gaps in the past and provide answers.
The book then goes back to Hungary in the late 1950s, when the country was engulfed by socialism and communism. A boy there enjoys his life. He is proud to be wearing a new uniform and to be mesmerised by Uncle Joe. He even wishes to be like him one day. He and his friend Laci have adventures and play games together. One day, there is upheaval in the streets. The boy witnesses the marching, the flag-waving of the communist flag, and other events that make him certain that things will never be the same. His family Is forced to run away. They also have their internal struggles; the boy is not happy with how quickly things have escalated and he rarely gets the answers to his many questions. The uncertainty of the future scares him. How will they fare in the country they are going to? He has moved from one place to another, is separated from his loved ones, and is alone.
I initially did not enjoy reading this book. But as it progressed and shed light on what was happening, I started enjoying it. The beginning of the book was slightly uninviting. That was because of the writing skill of the author. There were too many mysteries to be solved, and no one was given to at least satisfy the curiosity of the reader. The narration felt disconnected; sentences were not flowing together. It was like each stood on its own and did not finish the last one’s thoughts. But the conclusion was different. I guess that was because everything had been answered and made sense. So the writing did not matter anymore; the story did.
This is a memoir, and it is very rare to find memoirs that balance narration and dialogue. The former always comes on top, and the latter is used in sprinkles to make the story exciting. And that was the case, too, on this one. The organisation of the book was done well. The chapters were rather long, but they each had a theme they focused on, so I was not thrown off. The timeline made the story exciting. It started in the present, then moved to the past, where the narrator was a boy, and then came back again to the present. The boy’s narration was not the same as the man’s. The difference was easily noticed, and this did not confuse me as a reader.
The story was very moving. It was written in such a way that I was rooting for the narrator. Sometimes he was saying things that I disagreed with; I thought they were stupid and outright dangerous, but I kept in mind that he was young and did not know any better; now he does. Because we spent a lot of time with the narrator, this made him feel intimate with me. That’s why such stories require first-person narration. The author wrote the story as it happened. He did not hold back, even in moments that were rather sensitive and personal. This showed how real and honest he was.
That’s why I am happy to rate this book four out of five stars. I removed one star because of the opening of the book, as I have explained in great detail above. I think it was exceptionally edited because I saw no errors. The quality of the book was very high. There was a frequent use of strong language. Because of that, I recommend that this book be read by late teenagers and young adults. It’s a good memoir that you should read.
******
The Reluctant Refugee
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
‘When you do a good deed, people are grateful, and that creates a nice feeling inside you; and then because it feels good, that makes you want to do more good deeds. That repetition is the cycle of goodness.’
~Hogoromo.
~Hogoromo.
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