I wasn’t surprised to see David Bergen’s latest book Away From the Dead make the Scotibank Giller Prize longlist this year. He’s a serious writer, with seriously impressive award wins and nominations in his past. I last read a book of his in 2014, which you can read my review of here, and I felt much the same way I did about Bergen than, as I do know. He’s a terrific writer that knows how to make a reader care about a character. What’s remarkable is that Bergen succeeds at connecting us with those in this novel in just over 200 pages.
The video quality below isn’t great (I’ve learned my lesson, don’t record these videos in the evenings!), but it does the job. Away from the Dead is a work of historical fiction that connects you to characters, rather than a time period, but it’s worth the read, especially right now as the war in Ukraine continues.
That was a lovely review, Anne! It sounds most moving for such a slim novel.
Thanks Laila! It definitely was.
I’ve noticed that more folks are writing about Ukraine right now, and much like COVID times, I’m wondering if it’s too soon for me. Surely this author’s book has some commentary, even subtly, about what’s happening in Ukraine today, but is it too soon to comment on that accurately? I’m not sure.
I was thinking about that, like what is he trying to say about Ukraine now? And honestly, all I could say for certain is he was showing us how resilient they are. They’ve gone through terrible things before, and they are doing it again, but will survive this.
That makes sense.
I hope to read this one!
I think you’ll really like it!