Review: Guernica by Dave Boling

From the Back of the Novel: In 1935, finding himself on the wrong side of the Spanish Nationalists, Miguel Navarro flees to Guernica, the most ancient town in the Basque region. In this idyllic, isolated bastion of democratic values, Miguel finds more than a new life--he finds someone to live for. Miren Ansotegui is a charismatic dancer from the town's most prominent family, and the two discover a powerful love.
But their affair is doomed to be painfully tested. On the eve of World War II, the German Luftwaffe bombs Guernica. It is a devastating experiment in total warfare and, for the Basques, an attack on the soul of their ancient nation. Seamlessly merging history and fiction, Guernica speaks to the resilience of family, love, and tradition in extraordinary circumstances.

I will admit, this is a book that will stay with me for a very, very long time. For anyone that knows the basics of the Spanish Civil War and the bombing of Guernica by the Germans as a show of support for Franco, this book is, understandably, not a happy one. What the Germans did to "test" their air force was horrific, and Boling does a fantastic job putting a human face on that tragedy. He really makes you fall in love with the characters, quirks and all, and makes you care about what happens to them. The novel acts as a fantastic introduction to the "opening acts" of World War II and the historic difficulties of the Basque people under oppressive regimes.

That being said, don't go into this one expecting an unbiased view of anything that's happening. The Basques are portrayed as vibrant, loving, intelligent...the stereotypical "good" guys of the novel. And every German or Spanish (read: fascists supporting the Franco-led rebellion against the Spanish republic) is portrayed as soulless, lazy, and, in several cases, socio-pathic. There's little attempt to understand them as people with their own families to protect. Still, I think it is rather appropriate in this novel--the descriptions of the German bombers as celebrating after the horrific decimation of the town of Guernica show just how disassociated from other people many fascists had become. They didn't think of Guernica as a town full of people with lives and families; instead, they were the enemy: a strategic target. In contrast, the British bomber portrayed reaches the understanding early in his military career that his bombing in Germany could result in the death of German women and children. I am not mentioning this in criticism; I'm just warning non-fiction readers that they shouldn't expect an unbiased view of the Spanish Civil War in this novel.

This is Boling's first novel, and, I must admit, I'm extremely impressed. I saw it on the bookshelves at Borders on the "If you like...then you might like..." displays, and I couldn't resist it, and it quickly ended up on the top of my TBR list. Boling's writing style reminds me a lot of Allende and some other Latin American and Spanish authors (but with a whole heck of a lot more of the realism and none of the supernatural). His descriptions are beautiful, and he successfully paints a picture of the horrifying event without being gory. Rather, he shows an amazing respect for all of the characters, even as they're facing their last moments or the ongoing need to deal with grief. Ultimately, the book has an excellent message and shows that even in the midst of overwhelming death and destruction, a community can rebound--even thrive.

My rating: 10/10

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caribousmom
Presenting Lenore
She Is Too Fond of Books

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