4 out of 4 stars
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Reece Pocock, the author of refugee, has done an excellent job of taking us through what soldiers experienced during the Second World War. The protagonist, a German by the name Rolf, is nearly killed in Tobruk during the battle of El Alamein and gets mentally affected. This sees him admitted in a psychiatric hospital in Italy. On returning to Germany, Rolf discovers that he has lost his family to an air raid. Using the identification documents of a dead man, he passes for a Polish refugee and crosses over to Australia with other Poles to settle as refugees. A recurring nightmare of his near death experience at war gets him in trouble when he sleep-talks in German and is overheard by the Poles. How will he get out of this mess? He is in Australia where Germans are hated for fighting the Australians during the war. His identity is now at stake. He came out here to start a new life and shake off the nightmare but things are not turning out well.
The author introduces the well-developed characters with a detailed background of their lives. What I liked most about this book was that as I read it, I got so engrossed in it that I felt like I was actually a silent character who was following the protagonist everywhere. I empathized with him and felt his pain. The author describes the war like it was actually happening in the present time. Reading this book has made me respect soldiers and appreciate their willingness to defend their countries at whatever cost. I also learned that some soldiers go to war, not because they are willing, but because they are considered fit and able by their governments.
What I did not like about this book was the sadness I experienced though this is expected in any book about war. Rolf went through a tough decision making process and had to do the unimaginable. At some point I shed tears.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The author must have had it professionally edited making it an easy read. The formatting was well done and I did not come across mistakes. War stories may sound complicated to read but in this case, the author has given enough details to make it easy to understand.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes war stories and those who would like to read and see what it is all about. It is a good book for those who would like to read about someone who lost everything including family members and had to start living from scratch in a foreign country with strangers. There are gory scenes for the strong hearted.
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Refugee
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