My sister slept with the light on until she was 27. She rightfully blames me. I would leap out of closets with my hands made into claws. I would...
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flipper, January 26, 2013 (view all comments by flipper)
Such a moving and uplifting story. In our times of war and the true meaning of freedom, this book brings so much hope.
Extremely well written, powerful and full of emotion. A book to ponder over and over in these times of ours.
Symbolic and poetic, a must read. A reminder to cherish the moments we have and help others do the same.
The Loopy Librarian, June 22, 2012 (view all comments by The Loopy Librarian)
The Book of Jonas is an elegantly written book that stimulates thought and emotion while challenging conventional viewpoints on war and religion. While I didn't necessarily agree with the actions or beliefs of the main characters, I was fascinated and empathetic. The sparse prose and short chapters meant no word was wasted and the story moved quickly between past and present and various points of view. I was profoundly moved by this engrossing book that packed a powerful punch in nearly poetic fashion.
Erin Duffin, April 10, 2012 (view all comments by Erin Duffin)
This was such a good book, and I'm so glad I got it through Indiespensable! It's extremely relevant to our times, and is also a quick read. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a different perspective.
Product details
272 pages
Blue Rider Press -
English9780399158452
Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"In his debut novel, Dau chronicles the human cost of war with the alternating stories of Jonas, a teenager who loses his family in an American raid on an unnamed Muslim country; Christopher, a soldier involved in the attack and since MIA; and Rose, Christopher's mother, a woman dedicated to discovering what happened to her son. After the brutal attack on his village, an aid agency sends Jonas to live with a football-loving family in Pittsburgh, Pa., where he attends high school. After Jonas assaults another student, he begins seeing a court-ordered counselor specializing in PTSD. In time, Jonas reveals his connection to Christopher, claiming that without the soldier he 'probably would not have survived,' but evading other questions about the extent of their relationship. Short, sometimes contrived chapters moving between Jonas, Christopher, and Rose propel the novel quickly through time toward the truth about the attack. Intriguing characters reveal the effects of war on both victim and victimizer, and raise important questions about the emotional implications of modern warfare. Agent: Henry Dunow, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner." Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review),
"Dau sketches Jonas brilliantly, empathetically, writing with spare, clear language in the third person, a point of view encompassing the distance necessary for emotional clarity. Rich with symbolism, marvelously descriptive in language...Dau's novel offers deeply resonating truths about war and culture, about family and loss that only art can reveal. A literary tour de force."
"Review"
by Marisa Silver, author of The God of War, Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist,
"That the human cost of war includes not only those who die but also those whose fate it is to live unhinged from all that they know is the truth at the heart of The Book of Jonas. In elegant, pitch-perfect prose, Dau charts the paths of three such displaced persons with a restraint that only heightens their emotional turmoil. Jonas himself is an unforgettable character through whose eyes we see the intricacies of war's deceptions. This is an utterly riveting debut."
"Review"
by Steven Galloway, author of The Cellist of Sarajevo,
"A powerful and stunning debut. The Book of Jonas is a deeply moving story of the human cost of conflict and the ways in which we never really leave the worst moments of our lives. Stephen Dau writes with remarkable precision, vitality and honesty."
"Review"
by Jean Thompson, National Book Award finalist and author of The Year We Left Home,
"The Book of Jonas is a vivid portrait of a distant war we might scarcely be able to imagine. It challenges our assumptions about the survivors of war, and about guilt, justice, and memory. This is first rate, original, powerful storytelling."
"Review"
by Jean Thompson, National Book Award finalist and author of The Year We Left Home,
"This is first rate, original, powerful storytelling."
"Review"
by Kathleen Daley, The Star-Ledger (New Jersey),
"The artfully crafted story zeroes in on those seconds when decisions are made, sometimes with terrifying consequences."
"Review"
by Shelf Awareness,
"Dau does a beautiful job of creating tales shrouded in mystery, filled with pain and suffering … A modern, Citizen Kane like morality play about war, death, ordinary people, hope and forgiveness."
"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,
Jonas is fifteen when his family is killed during an errant U.S. military operation in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. An international relief organization sends Jonas to America, where he struggles to assimilate—adapting to his foster family, high school, a first love. Jonas meets Rose Henderson, the mother of the U.S. soldier responsible for saving his life. Christopher Henderson disappeared after the raid that destroyed Jonas’s village, and Rose yearns to know the truth. Gradually, a shocking and painful secret emerges.
In spare, evocative prose, debut novelist Stephen Dau crafts a virtuosic novel about memory, the terrible choices made during war, and what happens when foreign disaster arrives at our own doorstep.
"Synopsis"
by Penguin,
An exceptional debut novel about a young Muslim war orphan whose family is killed in a military operation gone wrong, and the American soldier to whom his fate, and survival, is bound.
Jonas is fifteen when his family is killed during an errant U.S. military operation in an unnamed Muslim country. With the help of an international relief organization, he is sent to America, where he struggles to assimilate-foster family, school, a first love. Eventually, he tells a court-mandated counselor and therapist about a U.S. soldier, Christopher Henderson, responsible for saving his life on the tragic night in question. Christopher's mother, Rose, has dedicated her life to finding out what really happened to her son, who disappeared after the raid in which Jonas' village was destroyed. When Jonas meets Rose, a shocking and painful secret gradually surfaces from the past, and builds to a shattering conclusion that haunts long after the final page. Told in spare, evocative prose, The Book of Jonas is about memory, about the terrible choices made during war, and about what happens when foreign disaster appears at our own doorstep. It is a rare and virtuosic novel from an exciting new writer to watch.
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