A review by bookishlibrarian
The World and All That It Holds by Aleksandar Hemon

3.0

Rafael Pinto witnesses the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, not knowing that his life is about to be thrown into turmoil. That precipitating event, and his entry into the war, lead to both his greatest joy--a relationship with fellow soldier, Osman--and also a life of struggle and hardship as prisoner, survivor, stateless man, refugee, exile. This is an often brutal and bleak novel, with an undercurrent of love and hope from Pinto's time/memories/visions of Osman and daughter Rahela. (Indeed, I found the father/daughter relationship even more affecting than the love story, though it is in part an extension of Pinto's love for Osman). While I was moved by these glimpses of love and hope, they were overshadowed by the overwhelming despair throughout. The writing was often beautiful, but also often confusing and dense with time jumps, shifting perspectives, and references that passed me by. I have read other books by Hemon, and I prefer his short stories (particularly Love and Obstacles) 0ver his novels.