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A review by lmurray74
Prize Fighter by Future D. Fidel
5.0
A vivid and compelling story of brutality and survival. This novel is based on a play developed by Future D. Fidel and La Boite Theatre Company in Brisbane. It tells the story of a middle class Congolese boy become child soldier become refugee become Australian prize fighter.
The writing is crisp with an energy that leaps off the page. I haven't seen or read the play but I know it runs 60 minutes and that it doesn't follow a linear chronology. The novel is in five acts and does take up a linear progression, time wise. It feels to me that the writing is inspired by a theatre workshop model, not just a writer's workshop model. There is a performative nature to the stories told, and to the words chosen. I read this in almost one setting as I was anxious to hear what happened next. Near the end there are parts that feel slightly forced but this doesn't take away from the overall impact.
Isa spends much of the book trying to find his brother, left behind in Congo as he escapes the rebels, and life as a child soldier. The thread of his brother teaching him how to box, before the town descends into anarchy, is motivation for him to take up prize fighting. He takes up prize fighting to help pay for a private detective to find his brother, and in the ring he hears his brother's voice.
The stories of Isa as a child soldier are visceral and my gut was churning. I knew he would get out of the situation but it didn't take away from the immediacy of the experience. The first act, of everyday life for Isa, is in stark contrast to what follows. Isa lives a middle class life and his dad is a politician. Isa wants to become an engineer and build bridges. It is written without projection into the future, despite a first person narrative. Act 2 is then life and death as a child soldier.
When Isa arrives in Australia we are taken through the steps needed for him to settle into life in Brisbane. I kept wondering whether he would receive psychological help, but this doesn't come up. The challenges he faces, including life after extreme trauma, are dealt with almost fully on his own. People are there to help, but he doesn't feel comfortable telling his story, so he keeps it inside, and takes it out in the boxing ring.
The violence written about here doesn't come over as gratuitous, it is part and parcel of Isa's life, and the lives of so many people like him. I understand a little more about boxing now, not to say I would ever watch a match, and it is more than just beating someone up. I can't say I understand more about child soldiers as it will never be anything but the worst of humanity on show. The ends aren't necessarily tied up, but we leave with glimpses of hope and redemption.
I will be following Fidel's work closely and I look forward to hearing about his next moves.
The writing is crisp with an energy that leaps off the page. I haven't seen or read the play but I know it runs 60 minutes and that it doesn't follow a linear chronology. The novel is in five acts and does take up a linear progression, time wise. It feels to me that the writing is inspired by a theatre workshop model, not just a writer's workshop model. There is a performative nature to the stories told, and to the words chosen. I read this in almost one setting as I was anxious to hear what happened next. Near the end there are parts that feel slightly forced but this doesn't take away from the overall impact.
Isa spends much of the book trying to find his brother, left behind in Congo as he escapes the rebels, and life as a child soldier. The thread of his brother teaching him how to box, before the town descends into anarchy, is motivation for him to take up prize fighting. He takes up prize fighting to help pay for a private detective to find his brother, and in the ring he hears his brother's voice.
The stories of Isa as a child soldier are visceral and my gut was churning. I knew he would get out of the situation but it didn't take away from the immediacy of the experience. The first act, of everyday life for Isa, is in stark contrast to what follows. Isa lives a middle class life and his dad is a politician. Isa wants to become an engineer and build bridges. It is written without projection into the future, despite a first person narrative. Act 2 is then life and death as a child soldier.
When Isa arrives in Australia we are taken through the steps needed for him to settle into life in Brisbane. I kept wondering whether he would receive psychological help, but this doesn't come up. The challenges he faces, including life after extreme trauma, are dealt with almost fully on his own. People are there to help, but he doesn't feel comfortable telling his story, so he keeps it inside, and takes it out in the boxing ring.
The violence written about here doesn't come over as gratuitous, it is part and parcel of Isa's life, and the lives of so many people like him. I understand a little more about boxing now, not to say I would ever watch a match, and it is more than just beating someone up. I can't say I understand more about child soldiers as it will never be anything but the worst of humanity on show. The ends aren't necessarily tied up, but we leave with glimpses of hope and redemption.
I will be following Fidel's work closely and I look forward to hearing about his next moves.