Thursday, October 30, 2014

The Narrow Road to the Deep North | Richard Flanagan

Flanagan is one of my favourite authors. I find his stories interesting and the way he tells them is beautiful. He handles language exquisitely.

This book is no exception. It is the story of an Australian soldier who finds himself a POW on The LIne: the Burmese railway. The story is told in a series of recollections of the past melded with the present. He tells the story of his life and how it all relates, and is coloured by, his time as a POW.

I have read other books about this particular episode in history, such as Eric Lomax's book The Railway Man. There are a lot of similarities in the accounts, but a vastly different lives before and after for the characters.

This book has just been named the winner of the Mann Booker Award for 2014. It is well deserved, as Flanagan has proved time and time again he is one of Australia's most eminent authors.

Well worth reading.

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