February 1, 2015
Gr 8 Up-Skrypuch continues to tell the stories of young refugees-as in The Hunger (2002), Nobody's Child (2003, both Dundrun), and Daughter of War (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2008)-in her latest historical novel. Set between 1913 and 1917, it features two Alevi Kurd teenagers in Anatolia as World War I breaks out and Turkey begins the Armenian Genocide. Ali emigrates before the war begins and gives his girlfriend, Zeynep, a journal to write in for when they meet again. While in Canada, he is locked up in an internment camp because of his nationality, though he does not identify as Turkish. Meanwhile, Zeynep is witness to the genocide of her neighbors and is called to help. The author sheds light on an often overlooked piece of history. Unfortunately, she leans too heavily on clunky literary mechanisms: the diary format preys on the integrity of the story and some characters seem forced (though they bring up interesting historical contexts, such as the Cree teenager who attempts to free Ali). The characters are unyieldingly virtuous, and their rhetorical questions at times are wearing-there is no variance in writing style between the diary authors. However, the setting is fascinating, the research is thorough, and the story is made all the more interesting due to current events in the region. The author's note is full of source notes and historical details, though it lacks a bibliography. In a world that continues to be violent, readers may find solace in the novel's joyful ending. VERDICT Dance of the Banished is absolutely school assignment worthy, and a good book for teens who enjoy historical fiction.-Lisa Nowlain, Darien Library, CT
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 15, 2015
World War I separates a betrothed Anatolian couple-leaving one to witness the Armenian genocide and sending the other to a prison camp...in Canada.Cast as letters and journal entries, the double narrative records the experiences of Zeynep, a villager transplanted to the "mighty city of Harput," and Ali, who is swept up with other supposed enemy aliens and shipped to a remote camp in central Ontario before he can send for Zeynep. Neither is of Turkish descent: They are Kurds practicing the ancient, indigenous Alevi faith. These distinctions make no difference to Canadian authorities in Ali's case, but they do give Zeynep some protection as she records a rising tide of atrocities committed against her Armenian (Christian) friends and neighbors. The characters often come off as mouthpieces ("The minorities must stick together or we're all dead"), and the brief insertion of a young Cree woman into the cast so that she and Ali can compare lifestyles and religious beliefs is an awkward interpolation. Nevertheless, both parts of the author's tale being based on actual incidents, readers may come away with enhanced awareness of the multiplicity of smaller ethnic groups, both in other countries and their own. An eye-opening expose of historical outrages committed in two countries, with intriguing glimpses of a minority group that is not well-known in the Americas. (afterword) (Historical fiction. 11-14)
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