The Last Brother
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Monday 11 April 2011 |
Introduction
For its March selection, Dialogue Book Club sets sail from the continent of Africa to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, with The Last Brother, by the young French-Mauritian author Nathacha Appanah.
Taking as its backdrop one of the forgotten stories of World War II, the novel tells the tale of a group of 1,500 European Jewish refugees held in a prison on the island — a British colony — after being turned away from British-administered Palestine.
A classic coming-of-age study, The Last Brother looks at the story of the Jewish migrants through the eyes of Raj, a nine-year-old local Mauritian. With the arrival of the Jewish exiles from Europe, the realities of a distant war are brought into stark contrast against the tropical jungles of the island. While his father works as a prison guard, Raj meets David, a Jew imprisoned in the camp. Together, they set about hatching a daring plan of escape. The result is described by the Independent as a “lushly beautiful child’s-eye tale of resistance to injustice.”
“The Last Brother is that rare book that’s able to explore grand and sweeping themes of history with a masterfully light touch.” Anderson Tepper, Words Without Borders