I Hate My Brother by Branislav Bojčič
I Hate My Brother
Author: Branislav Bojčič
Translators:
Suzana Stapar
Ksenija Gburčik
Published: February 18, 2020
148 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
This book maybe answers the question of whether we can become a monster, or the monster already lies deep within us, waiting for the opportunity to come to the surface.
The action of this novel takes place in the region of ex-Yugoslavia as well as in prison and the court of The Hague Tribunal for war crimes.
The main character is Gvozden Mishic. He is courageous, honest, hard-working, and above all, a highly honorable man.
What happens when such a man of incredible persistence and will-power has his heart broken and filled with hatred?
Genocide.
This book represents a transformation, or rather a deformation of an impressive and above all, unique personality with countless qualities, among which the greatest is – an immense love for his family.
This quality is precisely his greatest fault. Love that he felt for his wife and daughter becomes an inexhaustible source of hatred that makes him commit deeds that give a new dimension and severity to the term “war crime.”
The severity that the readers will undoubtedly feel in their hearts while reading this book.
This book is nothing more than a profoundly emotional testimony of a tragedy of one people, carried on wings of hatred, hatred of those who once lived for LOVE, who once fought for LOVE.
Kim’s Review:
This was a very random find for me. It popped up while I was looking on Amazon and this cover intrigued me. It was a simple, straightforward read, while also presenting many complex ideas. It was a little difficult to understand the context so I would definitely suggest reading up on the Balkan conflict in the 90s. When borders are drawn by foreigners with no sense of nationality or ethnicity, problems will arise. Believe me, there are many times I wish people would just grow up and live peacefully, but I also get the roots of some conflicts. Gvozden wasn’t one of those people who cared too much about what happened outside his purview. He loved his life and he was proud of his heritage and his country, whatever that country was at that time. This is an account of one man. It’s not about the overall conflict, though of course that does come into play. Gvozden went from a peaceful farmer to one of the most infamous murderers of the entire conflict. I Hate My Brother shows his journey while also mirroring the bigger picture.
I really liked it and the emotions and ideas stuck with me. I think this would be good for more philosophically minded readers.