The realization that my parents, too, felt pain and fear frightened me more than any strangers could.
International Women's Day seems like the perfect time to announce Girl at War as our March book club selection. Let's just pretend we planned it that way, shall we? It's received stunning reviews. The one below by Victor Lavalle (The Devil in Silver) may be my favorite, and will explain why this is a timely choice on this day we celebrate and recognize the power of women and girls all over the world:
Sara Nović isn’t here to play games. Her debut novel, Girl at War, serves as the announcement of an audacious talent. Great war stories are engaging and rough and honest, and Nović’s book is certainly all three. But it’s the fact that all this war is happening to a child that makes this book singular and special. You’ll hold tight to this book as if you were going to protect the young girl at its center—but come to find out, she’s the one with all the courage and all the strength.
I'm eighty-three pages in and find it hard to put this mesmerizing read down. We haven't forgotten about last month's pick. We'll be reviewing that one and opening it up for discussion next Monday.
*Fair warning to our readers offended by harsh language: while there has been some in what I've read so far, it's very limited.