“…of the emperor whose gorgeous clockwork bird had seized up in the end; on his deathbed he’d called for the dark-feathered nightingale, knowing he never should have chosen a shiny substitute, because nothing but her real song could save him now. Was there any music that would bring back memories once they were lost in the fog? What were we, once our stories had drifted off like smoke?”
― Emma Donoghue, Akin
Akin is a weird combination of historical fiction and life drama. It is only 352 pages but it feels so long that I was honestly surprised that it was only 352 pages. The book was published in 2019 by Little, Brown, and Company and was written by Emma Donoghue who was suggested by me for her riveting writing. Frankly, I must have chosen the wrong book for I did not see it here.
The plot can be summed up to an old man talking to a child about his youth. It follows the 79-year-old professor Noah, who wants to visit his childhood home in France before he dies. His mother had been apart from him when he was a child and he wants to find out what she was up to in France during the Second World War. Then he suddenly gets a call, a young boy Michael has just lost her grandmother while her mother is in jail and Noah is his only relative so now he has to take care of Michael while they travel through France.
Every second in the story is plastered with Noah telling Michael about his mother or father back in the day and bore him and me to death. If he doesn’t tell him about the past he tries to force in information into the poor kid. Such as chemistry, grammar or biology. There is some drama in there such as the death of Michael’s father and the mystery around Noah’s mother sticks out its head every time the writer knew the reader must be close to sleep. It felt like I was a baby and the writer keep shaking a baby rattle in front of me to amuse me. It didn’t work.
Now, the writing style itself felt solid, the dialog between the two-character felt realistic and they both acted their ages. It could have been a good book if it focused closer on the relationship between the two but I think the writer enjoys history and knowledge because this book has an abundance of nonfiction knowledge and it doesn’t shy away from going on and on telling you about it.
Maybe the biggest problem here was that it wasn’t what I was interested in… And I read history at the University. I cannot fathom who this would be targeted to but a lot of people seem to like it as I chose it on its rating on Goodreads. So, do not give up on this book yet. It might just be that I did not like the way it keeps shifting between mystery, drama and historical fact. It just bored me but others might enjoy this sort of book.
This is the kind of book I would suggest students to read to analyze as it makes up for an interesting discussion if you ask yourself, what is the book trying to convey? It feels deeper than it probably is and that will give a good base for a discussion in a classroom or in a book club.
But for reading privately… Maybe if you enjoy slow-paced stories or/and historical facts around the Second World War. Especially around the French occupation and the people living in France during that time. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if this book has actual facts from interviews from people who lived during that time.
It has the signs of an author struggling with writing a riveting story along with writing exactly what the people told you in an interview. There is a reason why many take liberties and exaggerate stories when they retell them to people. It makes for an interesting story but not a realistic one. This one most likely falls under realistic but not very entertaining one.
I had a hard time giving a fair rate because of my boredom with the book but it had some interesting facts for those interested, it is realistic which I can appreciate as a historian but not as a reader for this book felt too long. It dragged on and felt unfocused with too many infodumps. All in all, I would give it a 5 out of 10. It is average. You will need to be especially interested in this kind of book to enjoy it, which was not me, so I might not be the right person to go to for a recommendation but if the book sounds interesting, try it!
With Kind Regards
Senefer.
Read with Senefer 