The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
The Narrow Road To The Deep North – Richard Flanagan
READ FOR BOOKERTHON
The story of Australian doctor Dorrigo Evans, forced to work on the Burma Railway while held as a POW in WWII. Based on the experiences of the author’s father.
✎ “Evocative, lovely, terrifying, disturbing. Similar to how I felt after reading the about walk to Dunkirk in Ian McEwan’s Atonement, I felt I could hold my own in a conversation with fellow prisoners about life in a Japanese PoW camp after reading this story (“Yes I remember Barry, the medical tent was *very* basic wasn’t it….” etc). As a reader we weren’t observing the story from afar, we were there experiencing every horrible moment.” – Suzy
✎ “What a heart wrenching and deeply moving story. Not only it is beautifully crafted, it was a real pull on the emotions. The raw truth of PoW camps, alongside a touching love story, and education about a moment in history are all contained in this one book. It sounds crazy but I would lift my head from these pages and think “oh that ‘s right, I am here, not in a PoW camp,” my heart thumping, so entrenched in the story was I. I will never forget this book.” – Rachel
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Published 2013
Random House
464 pages
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