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A savage tale of a psychic child witnessing the terrors of the Gulf War through the eyes of Latif, a 13-year-old Iraqi soldier. Narrator Tom's younger brother, Andrew, has always had vivid "dreams," sometimes fun and splendid, sometimes discomfiting - but since the invasion of Kuwait, his whole pattern of behavior has changed: At night he scratches at nonexistent lice, mutters triumphantly in an unknown language and behaves as if he were in a camp, surrounded by comrades. Soon Andrew's personality becomes totally subsumed by Latif's, and the boy is hospitalized. Tension mounts as the land war begins in Iraq; in a horrifying climax, Tom sees Andrew/Latif bombed, burned, and machine-gunned (all conveyed by his realistic reactions to his phantom environment). Andrew returns physically unharmed, but no longer the dreamy, sensitive child he was. Westall (Falling into Glory, p. 563, etc.) mordantly contrasts not only the fearful but proud Latif's view of the war with the impersonal, nearly bloodless version seen on TV, but also each side's affirmations of legitimacy and different perspectives on the war's causes. The result is an antiwar statement every bit as harrowing and furious as Peter Dickinson's AK (1992), at a third of the length. (Kirkus Reviews)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Robert Westall provides a powerful, realistic and important new view of warfare in this novel.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book was one of those included on a list of children's books I have to read before starting teacher training and I found it very enjoyable, if disturbing. Tom and Figgis (real name Andy) are brothers but sometimes things happen to Figgis that don't usually happen to children. For example, he becomes obsessed with photographs of people about whom he can know nothing, and has extremely vivid dreams. When the Gulf war breaks out, he gradually takes on the persona of a boy caught up in the conflict. This has devastating effects on the whole family. Narrated by Tom, it feels as though he is really communicating directly with you which is one reason I think it would appeal to young boys that have little interest in reading. I defy them to be able to reject this book once they have started it. One reason is the clever use of intrigue at the end of each chapter, making you want to find out what happens next. It's a fascinating idea and one which is treated in a believable fashion. There's a political message too which could be lost on younger readers but which should make older ones stop and think. The characters are well-drawn and Westall explores in detail the family relationships, especially that of Tom and his father. Excellent, I shall endeavour to read more of his work.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the absorbing story of a boy and his brother, both of whom are drawn, to very different extents, into the Gulf War in the early nineties. Andrew is a boy who forms close, unexplainable connections with people and things - he's done it all his life. His family has learned to deal with it over time. But when he becomes inexplicably connected to a boy his own age fighting in the war in the Gulf, the whole business gets a lot more intense, a lot more serious, and a lot more dangerous...
It seem that whether he's writing about the second World War, wich he himself lived through, or about wars going on at the time, Westall is still the master of wartime fiction for children and young teens. One of the last books he wrote before his death in 1993, 'Gulf' is also one of his best. Read it - read them all.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this book in a simplified version for German students with my class (~15 years of age). The basic idea: What happens if we can actually feel how the other side feels? is so compelling, that they soon forgot any language problems they might have had. Especially the protagonist, Figgis, is drawn so well that any youth will find it difficult to resist identifying with him. Westall thus draws his readers deep into a powerful and moving story and as a teacher all you have to do is drop a hint here, point to a phrase there and let your students become involved with the central question of the book. Great stuff!
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