Burma Boy
Biyi Bandele
Burma Boy
A few months ago fourteen-year-old Ali Banana was apprenticed to a whip-wielding blacksmith in his rural hometown. Now its winter 1944, the war is entering its most crucial stage and Ali is a private in Thunder Brigade. His unit has been given orders to go behind enemy lines and wreak havoc. But the Burmese jungle is a mud-riven, treacherous place, riddled with Japanese snipers, insanity and disease. "Burma Boy" is a horrific, vividly realised account of the madness, the sacrifice and the dark humour of the Second World War's most vicious battleground. It's also the moving story of a boy trying to live long enough to become a man.
4.7 out of 5 based on 6 reviews
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Omniscore:
|
| Classification |
Fiction |
| Genre |
General Fiction |
| Format |
Paperback |
| Pages |
224 |
| RRP |
£6.99 |
| Date of Publication |
June 2008 |
| ISBN |
978-0099488989 |
| Publisher |
Vintage |
| |
A few months ago fourteen-year-old Ali Banana was apprenticed to a whip-wielding blacksmith in his rural hometown. Now its winter 1944, the war is entering its most crucial stage and Ali is a private in Thunder Brigade. His unit has been given orders to go behind enemy lines and wreak havoc. But the Burmese jungle is a mud-riven, treacherous place, riddled with Japanese snipers, insanity and disease. "Burma Boy" is a horrific, vividly realised account of the madness, the sacrifice and the dark humour of the Second World War's most vicious battleground. It's also the moving story of a boy trying to live long enough to become a man.
Reviews
The Independent
Tony Gould
“Burma Boy explores to the full the inhumanity of modern warfare while celebrating the humanity of warriors caught up in it. It is a fine achievement, not least in giving the previously unheard West African Chindits a voice of their own.”
29/06/2007
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The Independent on Sunday
Chris Dunton
“Stunningly good.... The narrative drive here is remarkable, as is the bubbly zest of the dialogue, a constant flow of anecdotes and proverbs... The novel's blurb compares Bandele's achievement with that of Evelyn Waugh in his war fiction. Certainly Burma Boy stands comparison with, say, the Sword of Honour trilogy. Both are harrowing and extremely funny. Out of sheer bad planning I had to read Burma Boy twice in quick succession; the second reading did not pale one bit.”
15/04/2009
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The Observer
Robert Collins
“The absurdity of war has been done before, of course, what's invigorating about Bandele's novel is his fine detail, and the fresh perspective of the Africans who took part. Nigerian-born, and a prolific British playwright, Bandele has an eye for the vulnerability and camaraderie of these soldiers, 'specially invited to Boma by Kingi Jogi to teach the Janpani what's what'. What lingers best is the esprit de corps of the Britons, Indians, Gurkhas, Africans and Japanese, all cooped up together in a sweaty, terrifying battleground. ”
15/04/2009
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The Daily Telegraph
Alex Peake-Tomkinson
“Biyi Bandele's novel offers a surprising perspective on the conflict and features a memorably funny military hero. In the encroaching paranoia of its characters, Burma Boy is reminiscent of Graham Greene's work.”
07/06/2008
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The Times
David Grylls
“The trajectory of Burma Boy is familiar from other war narratives... That the novel remains fresh is largely due to Bandele’s pungent prose, which intersperses explosive action with African anecdotes and idioms. Although racial tension is only lightly touched on, the author’s sharp awareness of ethnic identity is what makes the book original and moving. Highlighting the heroism and absurdity of war, it also illuminates a forgotten byway of African experience. ”
22/07/2007
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The Guardian
Anna Scott
“ "...although there are laughs to be had, Bandele's novel ultimately refuses to underplay the stark brutality of combat and the senselessness of an adolescent boy "fighting a crazy war he didn't even really understand".”
14/06/2008
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