*** FAVOURITE *** Awesome! Just loved it!!!
And now I think I'll have to read some Dickens!
This has been sitting on the bookshelf for ages ... so I am so glad that I have made January "Paperback Month" to catch up on unread purchases.
This was a delight ... yet it was about horrible, horrible things.
It was beautifully written, though for the most part I worried about the inappropriateness of the "voice". I felt a similarity to "Caleb's Crossing" where I didn't believe in the voice of the character narrating the events. In Mr Pip, I questioned the voice of the 15yo native girl telling the story ... but that all becomes clear at the end.
This is set in Bougainville. I found it frightening, enlightening, to know about this horrible recent history and wanting to know how complicit Australia was/is. This is a disturbing read ... it should come with a warning label! ... I was so taken by surprise/shock as events unfolded.
The main character is the last remaining white man on the island who teaches the children through his love of Dickens, in particular "Great Expectations". So now I have to add that to my reading list and do a bit of Google research.
Shortlisted 2007 Man Booker
Winner 2007 Commonwealth Prize
