Girl at War - Sara Novic

⭐ 8.0/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

This is a book about Ana, who is 10 when war breaks out in Yugoslavia (in 1991 - I had no idea this European genocide took place so recently!). Her parents die in the genocide and she's sent to be adopted in the US. Ten years later, she returns to Zagreb to face her past, and the plot jumps around in time until we finally get the full story at the end.

Why did I go ahead and read a book about a genocide? Who even knows. I usually stay away from war books, but maybe just the fact that it wasn't WW2 intrigued me, plus a new setting.

It's in the first person, but she doesn't use very emotional language, and I kind of appreciated the detachment. The things I most appreciated were learning about a new culture and country, and also reading about her efforts to fit in - basically hiding her past because it just made her feel more other. Good exploration of what home means as well