Črna vrana
(The Black Crow) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
Hiba is a Syrian refugee whose family has fled the war by migrating to London. She runs into Jan while getting used to high school life there, but after a terrorist attack on the London Underground in which Jan’s father gets hurt, he directs all his hatred and frustration towards her. Thus, a series of events is put in motion which affects him, his friends as well as his family. Hiba’s and Jan’s subplots are just two threads in a fabric of interconnected stories in which the reader encounters London hooligans, youths on ISIS training grounds, war-stricken hotspots around the world, and Balkan route migrants. (source: publisher)
Edited by: Mestna knjižnica Ljubljana
Comment:
Literature is not useful in itself; its usefulness might only lie in the way it critiques that which we believe to know about ourselves and the world. The author’s dilemma, namely whether to be silent or to proclaim loud and clear that the world is in real danger of “running headfirst into fascism” (Boštjan Videmšek), is the driving force behind this novel. The plot revolves around Hiba, a Syrian refugee, and Jan, a migrant from Slovenia. In London, where they meet as teenagers attending the same high school, they both yearn for freedom and warmth yet experience the world differently due to their diverging backgrounds of experiences and understanding. The same goes for the numerous subplots and supporting characters intertwining to form an image representing the contemporary human: a confused refugee. A fair treatment of such diverging backgrounds with a response to events from which there is no respite is the connective tissue of the novel which allows the author to seamlessly connect the exploratory and documentary aspects of the plot to the dramatic, sometimes tragic storyline. The novel will represent a valuable journey through literary and ethical realizations for both young ans adult readers. The book has received the Golden Pear Mark of Quality. It is targeted at the age range 14+, but it is also suitable for younger readers who are capable of critical independent reading.