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serendipitysbooks 's review for:
Small Boat
by Vincent Delecroix
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In November 2021 27 migrants lost their lives in the English Channel while attempting to cross from France in an inflatable dinghy. This slim little novella explores that real-life event through a fictional lens in three main sections, two of which are from the point of view of the radio operator of the French rescue centre who received their distress calls, while the middle section is from that of the migrant making the calls.
The author is a philosopher, and I think that shows clearly in this thought-provoking and often confronting read. I was amazed and a little horrified by how often I found myself agreeing with some of the points made by the radio operator in her interview with the police. Yes, she may have been attempting to obfuscate and minimise her own failings, but did that negate the validity of some of the points she was attempting to make? She may have had a large role to play in the proximate cause of the arguably preventable deaths, but the ultimate causes are more wide-ranging and often less comfortable for readers to face.
The structure was very clever - and also a little opaque. Did the first and second sections actually occur, or were they all in the mind of the radio operator? If the latter, then she clearly showed more self-awareness and empathy than the policewoman (another side of the operator herself?) gave her credit for. And this issue of empathy, of presenting in a way that others judge acceptable, really gave me pause, particularly when I consider court cases where an incorrect verdict has resulted, largely due to the evidence of the accused or a key witness being discounted because they did not behave or present in a way that others judged correct given the circumstances, something that is particularly problematic and troublesome when things like autism are factored in.
This was a small but mighty book whose unlikeable narrator poses some uncomfortable questions that readers should continue to ponder (before hopefully taking action) long after the book's covers have been closed.
Many thanks to @netgalley and @hoperoadpublishing for the eARC. Small Boat is set to be published on 23 April.
The author is a philosopher, and I think that shows clearly in this thought-provoking and often confronting read. I was amazed and a little horrified by how often I found myself agreeing with some of the points made by the radio operator in her interview with the police. Yes, she may have been attempting to obfuscate and minimise her own failings, but did that negate the validity of some of the points she was attempting to make? She may have had a large role to play in the proximate cause of the arguably preventable deaths, but the ultimate causes are more wide-ranging and often less comfortable for readers to face.
The structure was very clever - and also a little opaque. Did the first and second sections actually occur, or were they all in the mind of the radio operator? If the latter, then she clearly showed more self-awareness and empathy than the policewoman (another side of the operator herself?) gave her credit for. And this issue of empathy, of presenting in a way that others judge acceptable, really gave me pause, particularly when I consider court cases where an incorrect verdict has resulted, largely due to the evidence of the accused or a key witness being discounted because they did not behave or present in a way that others judged correct given the circumstances, something that is particularly problematic and troublesome when things like autism are factored in.
This was a small but mighty book whose unlikeable narrator poses some uncomfortable questions that readers should continue to ponder (before hopefully taking action) long after the book's covers have been closed.
Many thanks to @netgalley and @hoperoadpublishing for the eARC. Small Boat is set to be published on 23 April.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death