orestesfasting 's review for:

Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix
4.0
dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Inevitably, this is a soapbox novel, but it is a soapbox (thank god!) with nuance. Delacroix doesn't attempt to sanitise our lead character, but to humanise her - of course she doesn't, and can't care, and that is not kind or right but it is true. It demonises a state and public that look for a scapegoat in her, and it makes visible the awful realities of the refugee crisis.