The Book of Revenge

by Dragan Todorovic

A darkly comic recollection of a country that no longer exists, and a lyrical examination of the importance of taking a stand when it counts. Set against a backdrop of horrific world events, this is narrative non-fiction at its best.

To a young boy growing up poor but happy in an industrial town in Serbia, politics means many national holidays that result in parades, piglets roasting on a spit, and getting to see both his hard-working parents at the same time. An observant child, Dragan Todorovic quickly learns the power of words. Even before he can read or write, he is mesmerized by the squiggles made by the grownups around him and diligently recreates them in the notebooks he carries with him always. He also learns that reciting naughty limericks usually yields some chocolate.

This love of words eventually takes Dragan to Belgrade, as editor for a cultural magazine. He hopes to inspire and support the young and innovative artists of the time, but soon discovers that naughty articles do not yield the same results as limericks, and he finds himself constantly clashing with the system. His many questions get only one he is drafted into the army.

Dragan survives his tour of duty, but his return to Belgrade is unsettling. Everything is changing, rapidly. Friendships are collapsing, conversations are guarded, nothing is as it seems. Bit by bit, the country he knows and loves is being torn apart.

Filled with great characters and poignant and often hilarious stories, The Book of Revenge is a superb duet of a citizen and his country, a universal exploration of just what it is that inoculates the human spirit from dangerous ideologies and toxic nationalism.

Genres: History, War

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Daria]

If you are interested in a personal perspective on the war in the former Yugoslavia this is a good place to start. It's especially interesting because the author is a Serb living in Belgrade during the war and who was adamantly against Slobodan Milosovic, his regime and the war. This is a book I will be keeping.

[Mattea]

As a first-generation Canadian whose family grew up in former Yugoslavia, this book sounded so familiar with its stories and captivated my attention throughout. Just like many "Tito's children" who grew up and went through the heartbreaking war in the 1990s, this memoir also takes readers along the rollercoaster of emotions of this period. I laughed and cried because of its familiarity. What a great book for those who want to understand the political post-memory of these events impacting the Balkans today.

[Marnie]

This book was frustrating. I really liked the writing, but there wasn't a strong enough backbone to hold it all together. If there was, it was so subtle I missed it. The title doesn't suit the book. I know what the author is getting at, but I would have liked to seen the material used in a different way.

[Deniz Gursey]

Captivating biography from beginning to end.

[Milena]

I think that in the times when a human life loses any value it is not really easy to think. This author has described these recent times in an elegant, poetic, yet very realistic way.