Plot: Young Bosnian Ismet escapes his war torn country, leaving behind his old life and beginning anew - but this is easier said than done. Ismet struggles to make sense out of his existence, tormented by his memories confusingly intermingled with those of others.
Comments: Shards is an abstract story of a Bosnian boy coming of age under the pressures and dangers of constant war in the background and familial insecurity in the foreground. Learning about the conflict in Bosnia from the perspective of a child, then a teenager and a young man, is a new experience and rather shocking. Ismet wrestles with his sense of himself and his place in the world. I can relate to his confusion and frustration in that respect, as I think many people can.
However, due to excessively anachronistic, haphazard shifting of perspective, Shards is discouragingly challenging to read. By the time I finally finished the book, most of my questions were unanswered and I was left with an overall feeling of dissatisfaction. In an attempt to express Ismet's emotions and inner turmoil, Prcic seems to have thrown out as many random, wild concepts and stories as he could, creating a mess of words not worth reading.
Rating: I rate Shards a five out of ten.
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