Book #20

The Cellist of Sarajevo
by Steven Galloway

I found this book in the "new" section of the library, and despite never having heard of it, decided to give it a try.

For 22 days in 1992 during the seige of Sarajevo, local cellist Vedran Smailovic played in the spot where a mortar killed 22 people who were standing in line for bread. At any time while he played, he could have been shot by a sniper, but he survived each day, committing a small but significant act of resistance that became the inspiration for Steven Galloway’s new book, The Cellist of Sarajevo. (Admitting here I stole that opening from someone else).

This book is not about this cellist necessarily, but is about three lives of fictional Sarajevo residents. One is Arrow, a sniper who has dead on accuracy who is sent to protect the cellist. Another is Kenan, a married father of three children who makes the deadly trek every 4-5 days to collect fresh drinking water for his family and ornery neighbor. The first, is Dragan, whose wife and son evacuated to Italy, and he was left behind, alone, and totally disconnected in a world he isn't sure why he wants to live in. All three of these people have one thing in common... the Cellist, who is reminding them all that they are still human and they want to survive in this war torn city.

I have not spent much time in my life learning about this seige that happened in Sarajevo during this time so I wasn't sure what to expect. The writer of this book did a beautiful job of writing about this war torn city and making you feel like you were there, experiencing the bombings, the deaths, the atrocities that happened. You could feel the buildings crumble, the sound of gunfire, and even the sound of the cello as it played every day for 22 days. Beautifully written and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an easy, yet well written read!