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'A profound novel, meditative, not conclusive . . . Yet despite the absence of an easy happy ending, it leaves the reader with a feeling of courage and, in the face of so much evidence to the contrary, hope.' (Observer )
'The writing is clear, precise, feelingly observant' (Spectator )
'A delight to read . . . a novel of great intelligence and understanding, populated by characters who are recognisable yet exceptional.' (Time Out )
'A powerful and lively book, seriously engaged and cathartic . . . gently, almost imperceptibly, impelled by the nourishment of love.' (Financial Times )
'The uncluttered narrative and the slow, quiet accumulation of everyday detail imbues this novel with a quiet grace' (Daily Mail )
'This novel represents a shocking, moving but ultimately hopeful vision of the best and worst of humanity.' (Daily Express )
'In Clem Glass, Miller has created neither a victim nor a victor but a man driven by his own innate decency, a character in whom we can believe, a person about whom we care and that is what great writing is about.' (Irish Times )
'Andrew Miller, in The Optimists, again proved his ability to blend a sturdy and satisfying architecture of character and plot with headline-hot themes - here, wars in Africa and media responsibility.'
(Boyd Tonkin, Independent )Sunday Telegraph
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Customer Reviews
Imposing some sort of order on their lives, he helps Clare to become less fearful, and begins to confront his own memories and face his own problems. A trip to Toronto where he meets the journalist with whom he shared the African nightmare, followed by a trip to Brussels, where he pursues the architect of the massacre, "the Bourgmestre," Sylvestre Ruzindana, whom he hopes to bring to trial, lead to Clem's realization that people and issues are far more complex than he has previously believed--that Ruzindana, despite his crimes, is a real, complex human being, not simply a "monster."
Miller is an exceptionally clear writer with the ability to create unusual and engaging characters facing unusual, but understandable, problems. Clem's inability to cope with the magnitude of the slaughter (based on a real event in Rwanda in 1994) parallels the similar inability of the comfortable reader, and the western world in general, to do so. Wisely, Miller never describes much of the massacre, leaving it up to the reader to imagine the horrors which would drive a professional photographer to such despair. Through the personal terrors of Clare's much smaller but no less frightening world, he puts her psychological trauma into a perspective that allows the reader to understand and care about her recovery, too.
The use of symbols enhances the themes--the faint outline of leaves in paving stone is a reminder of the miracle of life superimposed on stone. A swim becomes a sort of baptism and rebirth. The trying on of a pair of glasses suggests the seeing of life from someone else's perspective. These details are gracefully integrated, broadening the novel's scope without being ponderous. In a surprising conclusion (and like the proverbial snake biting its tail), Clem harks back to an early event, revisits it, and ultimately learns something new and important. Rewarding on many levels, The Optimists is carefully written and well-developed literary fiction in which every detail adds to the psychological tension and to the development of themes. Mary Whipple
Clem is a single guy, alone and has photographed horrific images while working in parts of war-torn Africa. Read more
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