Tweet
BOOK REVIEW: 'THE GENDARME' BY MARK T. MUSTIAN
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Dec 5 2013
By ManOfLaBook.com, BLOGCRITICS.ORG
Published 10:00 pm, Tuesday, December 3, 2013
The Gendarme by Mark T. Mustian is a novel about the Armenian
genocide. The events take place during World War I, when the Turks
deported Armenians into Syria - an explosion which is seen everywhere
but Turkey as an act of genocide.
Ahmet Kahn, is 92 and suffers from a brain tumor and the ailments
of old age. In his dreams, Emmett is hunted by a girl he saved while
participating in what was to become the genocide.
Emmett tries to find out what happened to the girl who was one of 65
survivors he was in charge of marching out of Turkey - 65 out of 2,000.
As a Turkish soldier, during a battle he was mistaken for an English
trooper, sent to the hospital and married an American nurse. He also
lost his memory.
As the 92-year-old starts remembering some of the horrors he inflicted
on others, he must find what happened to the girl he loved, and still
loves, so he can give rest to his conscience and his dreams. The
author takes a good look at a tortured soul, a man who did things he
knew were wrong and is now trying to make amends, trying to figure
out if the life he saved made a difference.
It is refreshing to read a story from the aggressor's point of view;
usually we look through a victim's eyes. This aggressor, however, is
justifying his acts, horrendous acts. In war and under pressure, as
well as immersed in a mob mentality, regular people commit atrocities
that weeks or even days before were unthinkable to them.
While it's not the author's main point, he does insert many shades
of grey into his story. We get to know a man who we would otherwise
consider a war criminal. We follow his trials, tribulations, his
relationship with his daughters, his troubled grandson, his dead wife
and his long lost love which he gave up a lot for but still doesn't
exactly know why? Maybe to save a shade of humanity which is lost
during such times.
This book works on many levels, historical and emotional. It analyzes
regret, forgiveness and how our perception changes with the environment
and over time. It's a well-written novel about an overlooked genocide
and the human experience.
http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Book-Review-The-Gendarme-by-Mark-T-Mustian-5035946.php
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Dec 5 2013
By ManOfLaBook.com, BLOGCRITICS.ORG
Published 10:00 pm, Tuesday, December 3, 2013
The Gendarme by Mark T. Mustian is a novel about the Armenian
genocide. The events take place during World War I, when the Turks
deported Armenians into Syria - an explosion which is seen everywhere
but Turkey as an act of genocide.
Ahmet Kahn, is 92 and suffers from a brain tumor and the ailments
of old age. In his dreams, Emmett is hunted by a girl he saved while
participating in what was to become the genocide.
Emmett tries to find out what happened to the girl who was one of 65
survivors he was in charge of marching out of Turkey - 65 out of 2,000.
As a Turkish soldier, during a battle he was mistaken for an English
trooper, sent to the hospital and married an American nurse. He also
lost his memory.
As the 92-year-old starts remembering some of the horrors he inflicted
on others, he must find what happened to the girl he loved, and still
loves, so he can give rest to his conscience and his dreams. The
author takes a good look at a tortured soul, a man who did things he
knew were wrong and is now trying to make amends, trying to figure
out if the life he saved made a difference.
It is refreshing to read a story from the aggressor's point of view;
usually we look through a victim's eyes. This aggressor, however, is
justifying his acts, horrendous acts. In war and under pressure, as
well as immersed in a mob mentality, regular people commit atrocities
that weeks or even days before were unthinkable to them.
While it's not the author's main point, he does insert many shades
of grey into his story. We get to know a man who we would otherwise
consider a war criminal. We follow his trials, tribulations, his
relationship with his daughters, his troubled grandson, his dead wife
and his long lost love which he gave up a lot for but still doesn't
exactly know why? Maybe to save a shade of humanity which is lost
during such times.
This book works on many levels, historical and emotional. It analyzes
regret, forgiveness and how our perception changes with the environment
and over time. It's a well-written novel about an overlooked genocide
and the human experience.
http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Book-Review-The-Gendarme-by-Mark-T-Mustian-5035946.php