A BOOK I READ RECENTLY AND LOVED - SMALL BOAT BY VINCENT DELECROIX

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BOOK NAME: SMALL BOAT

AUTHOR NAME: VINCENT DELECROIX, TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY HELEN STEVENSON

GENRE: LITERARY FICTION

PUBLISHER: SIMON AND SCHUSTER

BOOK BUY LINK: https://amzn.in/d/hXNxAYw

BOOK RATING: 5/5 




Small Boat is a short novel based on a real incident in 2021, when a dinghy carrying immigrants from France to the UK capsized, causing the deaths of 21 on board, sparing two. While the dinghy was submerging, calls were made to both French and English officials seeking help, but they were left waiting until death arrived. This book captures what went through the minds of the victims as they awaited rescue and the French official who believed they did not deserve to be saved.


This small book carries a world of emotions, told mostly from the point of view of the apathetic French official who dismissed their call for help and downplayed the seriousness of the situation. It was disturbing to read how she viewed immigrants in general because of her trauma, and how that changed everything in the end. Yet we know she isn't the real villain here. She may have been all that callous and insensitive, but we know the true villain is society and the corrupt nations that silently do the same. Her tone throughout is cold and hollow, and when she directs certain questions towards the reader, they bore through the soul and leave an everlasting scar. 


A small portion in the middle shows what really happened from their departure from France to their final moments and is traumatising to read, given the vivid detailing. I felt thalassophobic and had to take a break, even though it was a very short book. So, if you suffer from anxiety or thalassophobia, it's better to keep that in mind before reading. 


The unsettling question this book poses through the narrator’s voice leaves you shaking and morally unsettled. This defines the book’s whole purpose and that is why everyone should read it. To realise that the narrator is not just herself, but also all of us. It's an important book, and should not be missed.


This is a part of #BlogchatterHalfMarathon

#penbooksandscalpel

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