Eldorado by Laurent Gaudé December 2017 4/5 *Read in the original French French (original): Eldorado Summary Captain Salvatore Piracci has sailed along the Italian coast for the last twenty years, intercepting boats with clandestine North African immigrants who have risked everything in the hope of reaching the new Eldorado. But when Piracci is confronted by a woman haunted by the death of her son, killed during an illegal crossing, he is forced to question the validity of his border-patrolling mission. Meanwhile, two brothers prepare to leave Sudan and make the dangerous passage to Europe. Separated mid-voyage, Suleiman, the youngest, vows to make it to the promised land and find the means to reunite with his ailing elder brother. -- Goodreads My review My friend does have good taste. He came up to school one day with Eldorado in hand and told me to just read and write about it. This one is for you TT even if I can’t stand that you write in your books. Eldorado offers us a different perspective on the refugee crisis. Although I have often talked about this sensible subject during Model UN, it is always good to be reminded of the story of the people travelling across the seas and, in Eldorado’s case, the story of the brave coastguards. As philosopher Martha Nussbaum suggests, literature develops our empathy. Eldorado reminds us of the lives that were lost or miraculously saved. The migrant crisis was a very trendy topic back in 2015 when the number of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq went through the roof after years of repression from ISIS. Thankfully, the flow of refugees started to diminish after accords between the EU and Turkey, however, their conditions in camps were still horrendous. Unfortunately, the news cycle eventually got tired of the story until recently when a video of black men getting sold for a mear 400$ on a modern slave market in Libya emerged. Eldorado suddenly seemed very real again. Eldorado focuses mostly on the story of Captain Salvatore Piracci who works with the Italian coastguard. Some might say that Piracci is a hero: saving refugees from the violent waters of the Mediterranean, but, as he points out himself, he is also a villain. He is the one handing over the refugees to the local officials to be put in camps. Eldorado reminds us of the difficulties of the lives of refugees once they settle in Europe, if they are lucky enough to obtain asylum. Piracci struggles with guilt since he knows he is the one that will be handing them over to the authorities which will put them in badly maintained refugee camps. His perspective was profoundly interesting and original. Novels about refugees are not uncommon, but having the point of view of a government agent on this situation was refreshing and tragic. It restores your faith in humanity. Not everything is all white or all black. As for Suleiman, the South Sudanese runaway, I enjoyed his perspective, but not as much as Piracci’s. I would find myself expecting another chapter from Piracci and skimming over Suleiman’s. His story was touching. I admire his determination and his pragmatism. There is no “once I get to Europe, my life will be easy and I will stay on welfare until I die”. Suleiman anticipates the hard work. However, he appears later in the book, and I wish I could’ve seen more character development and background. My favourite type of stories is when two seemingly separate characters come together for a brief moment. The whole plot is planned in the build-up of that final meeting, and in Eldorado is was masterfully done. I will say that at the very beginning when Piracci meets the woman who’s son died crossing (it’s in the summary, I am not spoiling), I was expecting to see a conclusion on her story (maybe a potential spin-off). She seemed fascinating, perfectly consumed with a revenge that would make the Count of Monte Cristo proud. The ending was beautiful yet heart-wrenching, full of hope yet pragmatic. Eldorado remains very realist throughout the story. Both protagonists are real and candid about their job, their situation and their future. Eldorado illuminates a still very real situation for millions of people from Myanmar to Afghanistan to South Sudan. If Nussbaum’s theory is correct, then Eldorado takes the politics out of the migrant crisis to remind us of the stories of perseverance and poverty that provoked this human tragedy. If you liked Eldorado, you will love… Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende The Life Before Us (Madame Rosa) by Romain Gary (Émile Ajar) The Shadow Thief by Marc Levy
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