The Read Around The World Book Club discussion

First impressions

Hi everyone, I would like to share my impressions of the 1st part of the book.
First of all I think that liking a book is very subjective as each reader has different criteria on what a great book is. I am sure you are all seeing me coming here. I will not dare say that I dont like the book, because its a testimony , a voice which retrace an horrific part of history.
The style is very simple but still very colourful thanks to the descriptions.
I have read few books about the genocide written by authors who have lost their love ones and I can see a major difference with this one.
In Cockroaches the author is detached, she is keeping a distance with the stories and the characters.
I can imagine how painful it should be to write such a book. After such a trauma some people may need to write to release their emotions, here I felt Scholastique was written mainly to state the facts so that they are not forgotten and kept her emotions for the reader.
I will say that I highly respect the book more than I enjoy it sofar.

* kept her emotions for herself ( not for the reader)

I have just finished the book and I entirely agree - this is a very cool and measured account, understandably I suppose, given the emotional strain its writing must have placed on the author. It was informative and very sad but I find it hard to say exactly that I have enjoyed it or been dazzled by the writing.