Full Article Text

Home |Register |Sign In
Home
Top Picks: All Books
Small Country
Small Country
A Novel
by Gaël Faye
Price: $25.00 (Hardcover)
Published: June 05, 2018
Rating: 0.0/ 5 (0 votes cast)
From the Publisher: Already an international sensation and prize-
winning bestseller in France, an evocative coming-of-age story of ayoung boy, a lost childhood and a shattered homeland. ‘I was born with
this story. It ran in my blood. I belonged to it.’ Burundi, 1992. For ten-
year-old Gabriel, life in his comfortable expatriate neighborhood ofBujumbura with his French father, Rwandan mother and little sister Ana,is something close to paradise. These are carefree days of laughter andadventure – sneaking Supermatch cigarettes and gorging on stolen mangoes
– as he and his mischievous gang of friends transform their tiny cul-de-sac
into their kingdom. But dark clouds are gathering over this small country,and soon their peaceful existence will shatter when Burundi, andneighboring Rwanda, are brutally hit by civil war and genocide. A novel ofextraordinary power and beauty, Small Country describes an end of
innocence as seen through the eyes of a child caught in the maelstrom ofhistory. Shot through with shadows and light, tragedy and humor, it is astirring tribute not only to a dark chapter in Africa’s past, but also to thebright days that preceded it.
Rate This Book
Add To Wishlist
|Rate/Review Add To Bookshelf
Get This Book
Personalize / Add More ChoicesGo to your preferred retailer, click to choose a format and you' ll be taken directly to their site where
you can get this book.
What We Say
French hip-hop star Gaël Faye makes a terrific debut with his autobiographical novel "Small Country." With charm and wit,
it captures the world of an impressionistic, sensitive and smart ten year old boy. It's 1992 in Burundi and Gabriel is growingup with his little sister, a French father and a Rwandan mother. Goofing around with friends, shifting alliances as a new kid
joins the gang, sensing and then seeing the fractures in the marriage of his parents, swimming, fishing, sneaking a drink...it's
familiar territory given a fresh perspective by the setting and Faye's talent. Then dark clouds appear on the horizon. Gabriel
and his little sister start to notice the difference between types of people, prompted by the world around him. Is that guy aShare This Book
About The Author
Gaël Faye
Gaël Faye was born in 1982 in Burundi to a
French father and Rwandan mother. In 1995,
after the outbreak of the civil war and theRwandan genocide, the family moved toFrance. An author, songwriter and hip-hopartist, he released his first solo album, Pili
Pili sur un croissant au beurre, in 2013.
Small Country is his first novel. A bestseller
in France, it has been awarded numerous
literary prizes, among them the PrixGoncourt des Lycéens, and is being
published in thirty countries worldwide. He
lives in Paris.
Release Info
List Price: $25.00 (Hardcover)
Published: June 05, 2018
Publisher: Hogarth
Pages: 192
ISBN 10: 1524759872
ISBN 13: 9781524759872
Tutsi? Oh, that woman is Hutu, they whisper to each other, not really meaning anything by it. But the adults notice and
care. Indeed even their friends care, like Gabriel's best pal Gino, who becomes more and more fascinated with the guns andviolence all around them. Tensions erupt into fights, dark nights are peppered with gunfire, the neighboring country of
Rwanda is gripped by turmoil and soon Burundi is as well. This slide from the monumental concerns of childhood (a trip to a
pool, a stolen bike) to war and coups and even genocide happens with such tragic ease that the reader might look up andwonder who turned off all the lights. Maybe this is the one book Faye was meant to write.; one gem is plenty for anyoneand we can always listen to his music. (I just downloaded an EP.) Yet with his sharp eye and gift for detail, I doubt it. --
Michael Giltz
What Others Say
“Unforgettable… Gaël Faye’s talent is breathtaking; no country that can give the world a writer like him
should be ever be called small. ” – Imbolo Mbue, author of Behold the Dreamers

“An evocative portrait of what it means to lose one’s freedom and innocence… He is a writer of great
promise and grace. ” – Chigozie Obioma, author of The Fishermen
“Personal and intimate… Gaël Faye has evoked the darkest pages of contemporary Africa without tipping
into pathos. ” – Alain Mabanckou, author of Broken Glass
“The death of innocence seen through the eyes of Gabriel, our beguiling 11-year-old narrator, is at the heart of
this gorgeous first novel … Faye eloquently speaks to the untenable choices, among love of country, family,
or survival, that victims in conflict zones are forced to make ." -- Library Journal
“Gaël Faye is a revelation . Small Country is a luminous and poignant novel about childhood, war, exile and
identity … this is literature at its most powerful .” – Le Parisien Magazine
“This beautiful coming-of-age novel expresses a harrowing yearning for kindness and harmony. The result is a
vision of the world – not political, but poetic – that attempt s a balancing act between both horror and
wonder ." – Le Figaro
"In the summer months, there are two categories of books: those we take on holiday and leave behind in the
sand, and those that make their mark on us for life. Small Country by Gaël Faye is firmly part of the latter
category" – Le Matin Dimanche
“A literary force to be reckoned with .” – Le Point
“Subtle and powerful. ” – Elle
"Magnificent ” – Le Parisien
What You Say
Filter by
No Reviews Found .....
about us |faq|advertise |privacy policy |newsletter |contact us ©2018, BookBuddha LLc. All Rights Reserved.