LitPick Review
Koumaïl, known as Blaise Fortune by his adopted mother, Gloria, loves to hear all about Glorias family and how he came to be with her. He loves hearing about Glorias five brothers; Fotia and Oleg, with their broad shoulders, Anatoly, who squints behind his thick glasses, Iefrem, whose hair is curlier than a lambs, and Dobromir, with his angelic smile. He has memorized his story; how there was a terrible train accident in Glorias pear orchard, how Gloria heard a French woman call for help inside the train. The woman had a baby, whom Gloria says was Blaise. The woman pleaded Gloria to take Blaise and create a life for him, because she could not move and was not sure that she would survive. Gloria did so, and, with his new name and new life, Koumaïl travels all throughout the Middle East as a Russian boy, learning useful things from different people, like the different cuts of meat and the names of spices and their properties, and ultimately trying to reach France and his mother. This is a coming-of-age novel where Koumaïl will try to find out the answer to the puzzling question, Is there a difference between a lie and a made-up story?
Opinion:
I enjoyed the unique plot of this book. It was short and intriguing in the perspective its told froma twelve- year-old boy looking on his past, telling it how he remembers it. The writing carries an interesting feelslightly melancholy, but with hope and eagerness given by Koumaïl. The details are pretty well written, with some comments about appearance and short tidbits on personality traits that give the reader a good representation of the character, so you feel like you would know them if you saw them and spoke with them. The characters were very well-developed, and although some couldve done with a little bit more said, the reader will want to root for Koumaïl as he overcomes struggles, experiences love, and becomes a man. I read this book all in one night, so it could be considered a page-turner, but it wasnt too adventurous, I just felt compelled to finish and find out what happened next. This was a soft book that was sad but a good read. I would recommend it to someone who feels like a short, heart-warming-type novel with good morals.
