Reading 1001 discussion

Rating: 3.5 stars


This is a semi-autobiographical coming of age story of a young Flemish boy living in a Catholic boarding school. The book takes place during WWII around the time of the German occupation of Belgium. His family members sympathize with the Germans. The main character is at a vulnerable age during such a tumultuous era in history. His growth and maturity come with much disillusionment regarding his upbringing and surroundings.

The book is divided into two sections that correspond with the title. The first part, "The Sorrow" consists of defined titled chapters and represents a book later written by the protagonist. The second part, "Of Belgium" does not have any chapter divisions. This book shares some similarities with another list book, The Tin Drum, by Gunter Grass. Both are coming of age novels set during WWII.

I thought this book was a novel and interesting take on why so many people did sympathize or collaborate with the Nazis during WWII: in this case, it is that the protagonists family are Flemish separatists and saw the Nazis as possible liberators who would put down the Belgian government. The idea that many nations had people who fled to Nazis because they saw their home governments (or colonialism from another country) as the real enemy in their lives and willing to take a risk on a new ally is an important part of the story of WWII that is often overlooked (some Flemish, Irish, and Indian people collaborated- among others). But, it shouldn't be overlooked because it adds to the actual complexity of the story that the allies were not entirely good pure victims of oppression as soon as it happened to them. And on the other hand it also teaches the important lesson that even greater evils may use existing wedges or conflicts between people and exploit them to gain power- we must always interrogate whether our alternative options could be worse, and to be wary of who we make our beds with.

I gave it 4 stars.