SHARDS by Ismet Prcic

Finished Sa 7/14/12

Link to Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Shards-Ismet-Prcic/dp/0802170811

A review of the novel that seems to capture the what the novelist was getting at, maybe.....
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/books/review/shards-by-ismet-prcic-book-review.html?pagewanted=all

Ismet and Mustafa and Izzy- the novel/memoir is a composite of all of them
Not so much thought-provoking, as it gives you an emotional reference point as to what it would be like if War Hit Your Town.


Streamed through, and absorbed what I could. This is the kind of novel which would be great to discuss in a Book Club. 


Post on Good Reads-


This is not an easy book to read because the author uses two narrative voices that may or may not be two entirely different characters. The word 'shards' refers to broken pieces, and the style of the novel is most definitely 'fragmented'. However, the novel does give a first-rate impression of what it might be like to have lived and fled from war-torn Bosnia. The novel is in three sections. The first two are told by Ismet (he also has the Americanized nickname of 'Izzy'), and concern his journey and experiences in Los Angeles, and his upbringing in Bosnia. While in Bosnia Ismet becomes part of a theatrical group that leaves the country and travels to Scotland. And, from there he makes it to the US. The third section is told by Mustapha, who might be an entirely different character, or a different and more brutish version of Ismet. Mustapha relates his involvement in the armed conflict and how he internalized it.

The novel worked best when I tried to forget about exactly how the 'shards' fit, and just allow myself to be carried away by the emotional pull of the characters, and learn how Ismet/Izzy/Mustapha incorporate the savage violence of a civil war into their lives.

If anything, this is certainly a fresh approach to the 'memoir' style of writing.