Bibliofemme Bookclub An Irish Bookclub

The accomplished author Thomas Keneally has written over 25 novels and several works of non-fiction. He is probably best known for the book Schindler’s Ark that went on to win the Booker Prize in 1982 and was also made into the film Schindler’s List. His most recently published book, The Tyrant’s Novel, has been my first taste of Keneally.

This fast moving page-turner has an amazing way of pulling you in and then leaving you hanging out to dry. The book’s structure is set up for suspense as the narrator opens the story sitting in a high security refugee camp, awaiting acceptance into his western lifestyle. The main character, Alan Sheriff, an affluent and internationally published author, is called upon to write a novel for the tyrant, thus creating an immense struggle where both creative dignity and lives are at stake. As Sheriff weaves his life through the story, there are insights into what it would be like to live under an oppressive regime, and the conflict one would have in deciding whether to leave your home or remain in a life of survival.

An amazing premise for a book, although I felt that a lot of Keneally’s opportunity to relay the life and struggle for survival of a refugee was squandered on a plot that moved too fast. There is no doubt that the events that happened to Sheriff in the short period of this book are in the realm of possibility; however, at times it felt like watching an action film. The emotions and reflections one would expect from the characters were missing which in turn gave the book a shallow feel. In spite of my disappointment with the above, I would still recommend The Tyrant’s Novel for its clever set-up and thriller-like suspense, but I’ll leave my important education about our asylum seekers and their lives to be found elsewhere.