Name: The Narrow Road to the Deep North
ISBN: 9781448192243

Richard Flanagan

***WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2014*** Forever after, there were for them only two sorts of men: the men who were on the Line, and the rest of humanity, who were not. In the despair of a Japanese POW camp on the Burma Death Railway, surgeon Dorrigo Evans is haunted by his love affair with his uncle’s young wife two years earlier. Struggling to save the men under his command from starvation, from cholera, from beatings, he receives a letter that will change his life forever. This is a story about the many forms of love and death, of war and truth, as one man comes of age, prospers, only to discover all that he has lost.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Nicholas Charriere

The emotional power of this book led me to struggle through certain parts of it. Richard Flanagan tackles an incredibly tough part of human history, namely war crimes committed in the Australian POW camps in Thailand during WWII, whilst delivering a poetic and tough take on human nature.

The juxtapositions of love and death, of man's cruelty yet his resilience, tears you apart as you get lost in the poetic carnage the story relates. 

Finishing the book leaves you sad and emotionally drained, yet I could not recommend reading it enough . Some things are worth remembering & thinking about, no matter how hard that can feel. 

The devastating beauty of the book has to be credited in part to the quality of the writing, which feels appropriate in honoring this part of history, deeply linked to the author through his father: a prisoner of one of these atrocious camps.

***WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2014*** Forever after, there were for them only two sorts of men: the men who were on the Line, and the rest of humanity, who were not. In the despair of a Japanese POW camp on the Burma Death Railway, surgeon Dorrigo Evans is haunted by his love affair with his uncle's young wife two years earlier. Struggling to save the men under his command from starvation, from cholera, from beatings, he receives a letter that will change his life forever. Hailed as a masterpiece, Richard Flanagan's epic novel tells the unforgettable story of one man's reckoning with the truth.

Dana Kraft

I'm afraid this story is one that I won't be able to stop thinking about for quite some time. So many layers here. While the story is pretty dark, the descriptions of the characters and situations are incredibly vivid - for better or worse. Makes me think about the shallow and fleeting nature of fame and glory...and lots more. A compelling book if you can handle the subject matter.

Alexander Lobov

Flanagan is very good at writing about the horrors of being a POW and linking it to the absurdity of life. Unfortunately he's very bad at writing about love.

Amanda Wells

I found this book challenging to get through. I'm not sure why exactly, since it is very well written despite some challenging perspectives. It also covers a geographical area I've never looked at with regards to World War II, and the characters are all recognisably Australian from their era. Just for some reason I wanted something else, for a lot of the book. It did really click and resonate towards the end, and that's when I understood its high ratings as well as critical acclaim.

I would 100% recommend people give it a go, especially if they are interested in an Australian POW's experience, and life in the pre and post war era. The central character isn't all that likeable, but it comes from a place that I think most can empathise with, so don't let that alone perturb you.