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Kirkus Reviews (Print)
January 15, 2015, Thursday
DANCE OF THE BANISHED
FICTION
World War I separates a betrothed Anatolian couple-leaving one to
witness the Armenian genocide and sending the other to a prison campin
Canada.
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 exposé 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)
Publication Date: 2015-03-01
Publisher: Pajama Press
Stage: Children's
ISBN: 978-1-927485-65-1
Price: $15.95
Author: Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk
January 15, 2015, Thursday
DANCE OF THE BANISHED
FICTION
World War I separates a betrothed Anatolian couple-leaving one to
witness the Armenian genocide and sending the other to a prison campin
Canada.
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 exposé 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)
Publication Date: 2015-03-01
Publisher: Pajama Press
Stage: Children's
ISBN: 978-1-927485-65-1
Price: $15.95
Author: Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk