Pretty Birds

Scott Simon's captivating novel, Pretty Birds, depicts a period in history I knew very little about: the Serbian siege of Sarajevo. In 1992, Bosnian Serbs began their campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against the Muslims. Irena, a 17-year-old half-Muslim, and her family are forced to flee their home on the Serb side of Sarajevo. They seek refuge at Irena's grandmother's apartment on the other side of the river. They survive with no electricity and very little food and water, while constantly crouching below the windows to avoid sniper fire. Irena eventually takes a job in a brewery with "duties as assigned," and ends up working as a sniper for a group of Muslim resistors. Although the story is quite grim, Simon has captured the bleak streets of Sarajevo and the feelings of uncertainty and fear as the characters venture out of their homes, hoping to avoid sniper fire. Although I didn't feel strongly about Irena, the story was strong enough to keep me involved. I have a feeling that I am not alone in my ignorance of this period in history, and while I wouldn't say that Pretty Birds is one of my favorite reads, I do feel like I have an idea of what life was like during this time.