On the surface, The Bone Sparrow is a story about migrant life told from the perspective of a young boy born in an Australian refugee camp. The story revolves around our central character, Subhi, and his interactions and adventures with other key characters in the book.
About the characters:
Subhi, a boy of about 10 or 11, measures his height with the
diamond-designed wire fencing surrounding their camp. His resilience in the
face of adversity, his unwavering hope, and his determination to find joy in
the small things are truly inspiring. Subhi is accompanied by his talking
Shakespeare duck. (his imaginary friend or subconscious)
Subhi’s mother used to tell him stories about life in their
home back in Myanmar (Burma) and his father (Bar). Subhi's mother slowly
withdraws and hardly speaks as we go through the story. (Subi’s mum’s character
signifies the loss of hope in the camp over the book's narrative.
Queeny, Subhi’s older sister, slowly has to take over the
responsibilities of her withdrawn mother and look after his little brother. She
plays an active and courageous part in bringing attention to the plight of the
people living in the camp by taking pictures and posting them online. Queeny
and Eli represent the fighting spirit still left in the people who have had
everything taken from them and are stuck in limbo.
Eli, the only survivor of his group and family, is brought
to the camp, becomes Subi’s big brother, protects him and mentors him, but is
murdered while attempting to save Subi in the middle of a full-blown riot,
which he helps organise in the camp. Eli, like Queeny, represents hope in the
refugee camp, a fighting spirit, and though Eli is killed, illustrating the
killing of hope in the camp, Queeny is still alive by the end of the book;
Queenie represents a new generation of hope and the fighting spirit remaining
in the camp, unlike the older generation who have either given up, withdrawn or
die, as in the case of Subi’s mum and the old man who dies.
Jimmy is probably the second most important character in the
book. A young girl around the same age as Subhi, she’s also had an unstable
life, moving from place to place. In a way, her life isn’t too different from
Subhi’s, she has the same experiences in different conditions. She has a dad
dealing with the loss of his wife (the same as Subhi’s mum coping with the dead
husband) and an older brother (Jonas) slowly taking over responsibility from
his father, tasked with looking after his younger sister in the absence of the
father (same as Queeny as her mother becomes more withdrawn). Jimmy hangs on to
the memory of her mum through a book of stories she wrote. Subhi also hangs on
to his father through stories he is told and items he's given. They are curious
about the other side of the divide and find each other. I believe Subhi and
Jimmy represent the two sides of society: locals in the shape of Jimmy and
refugees in the shape of Subhi; the story illustrates how things could be if
both sides were to give each other a chance to get to know each other. How
similar our lives could be even though our lives may seem very different.
Harvy is the nice ‘jacket’ (guard); his expression of
kindness is limited to providing moments of relief and fun for the children in
the camp. Harvy’s character represents what seems to be a kinder, more caring
side of his society ( a particular political viewpoint), yet he must work with
those who disagree with him. His true nature is ultimately revealed when he
witnesses the killing of Eli and doesn't help or stop it from happening. Later,
however, he is willing to take responsibility for his actions as he sees Subhi
being interviewed by human rights officials. His tears are genuine and seem
sincere. Yet he was powerless or unwilling to take the actions necessary to
protect Eli. At the end of the story, Harvey is said to be working at the camp,
showing that there are still some pockets of kindness there, though limited.
Beaver is a horrible ‘jacket’ (guard) feared in the camp.
Beaver represents not only the uncaring system keeping the refugees in the camp
but also the people who turn a blind eye to the plight of the refugees. Beaver
is unfeeling and wicked and ultimately kills Eli. In the end, it's said that he
remains in the camp even though Subhi reveals his crimes to the international
agencies. Meaning nothing has changed for the refugees.
How the story is told:
The Bone Sparrow is told through Subhi's perspective, almost
like a diary entry in most parts, especially when Subhi is present in the
narrative. In parts where Subhi isn’t part of the narrative, it is told through
Jimmy's eyes. There are moments when it feels like we are reading from the
perspective of an observer. But in most parts, we experience the story through
Subhi’s eyes.
A story within the story highlights the narrative of the
‘Bone sparrow’ written by Jimmy's mum and read by Subhi.
Critically, for a ten- or eleven-year-old boy who has never
been outside of the refugee camp and has never really had any formal education
or exposure, he makes some descriptions and comparisons that I feel are beyond
his capacity. I feel this is a result of exposed grown-up writing from a
child's perspective in a particular situation. I expect it is done to draw the
reader in and occasionally allow their exposure and experience to seep through
the writing; references to a giant whale, snow, and salty sea would all be
alien to Subhi.
In all, I really enjoyed The Bone Sparrow. It is poetically
written, engaging, and well-paced, especially towards the end. There are
moments when it feels a little like ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ mainly due
to the relationship between Subi and Jimmy and the dividing fence. The book has
a strong message and opens your eyes to a world otherwise hidden from most
people. Despite its strong message, it is written engagingly and thoughtfully
to keep the interest of a younger audience. Within the book's seriousness,
there is a sense of adventure and wonder, and genuine, touching relationships
formed between the characters, very similar to the ‘Street Hawkers Apprentice’
by Kabir Kareem-Bello, a book that also opens the reader's eyes to a world
otherwise unseen, through the eyes of a young man with amnesia, lost and left
to survive on the streets, exposing the plight of homeless, lost children on
the streets of Lagos.
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