A tale of courage and fear, of identity and revolution, Guilty Names opens on the small world of young Federan Ponyhubiresh. A quiet, fearful child, neither Fe'n nor anyone around him could ever imagine him as a revolutionary, someone willing to risk his life to demand that his oppressive society reflect his values of liberty, charity, and generosity. Guilty Names charts that journey, bringing Fe'n through a path of trauma, love, terror, and passion. This defining moment not just for Fe'n, but for the bustling fictional town of Ilepya exposes the fears, failures, and contradictions of the characters and society, offering a fresh yet universal look at the development of a person and of a people.
This is a well written coming of age story about a young man and his family living through the violence and upheaval of a political revolution in their small city. I highly recommend it.