The Hired Man Paperback – 1 January 2014

This book gives a good idea about life in the aftermath of the civil war in Croatia. The topic interested me and so did the life of Duro. The narrative was easy to understand with no decorative complexities of sentences and the story is heartrending.

Those who remember the terrible atrocities which followed in the wake of the then Yugoslavia may be surprised by this novel. It brims over with the joy and hope that bringing a derelict house back to life and beauty must always have.Gost is a mountain village in Croatia, which, when it is discovered by Laura from Britain and her teenage children is a mass of fields covered in wild flowers. Laura's husband has bought them a house - really a real estate investment - to be done up. Laura, who speaks only English, enlists the help of her nearest neighbour, Duro Kolak, who is grateful for the cash which acting as a handyman brings him. Duro is kind to Laura and her two children, acting almost as a father figure to the moody, spoilt Matt. He also helps the daughter, Grace, restore the mosaics she uncovers on the side of the house and the derelict fountain. Soon the old house begins to regain its former beauty and to become a home again.However, not everyone in Gost is happy about this and as Laura faces opposition it seems than Duro's motives may not have been as transparent as they first seemed. Laura does not want to know about the past in Gost, but Grace does and the telling reveals truths that some in the village would want to forget.This is a well written novel, carefully crafted. It is sweet and gentle in the beginning which belies what comes later. The characters are well drawn and are very believable. Greed, loss and a demonstration of how other peoples' lives go on as usual whilst others are being ripped apart are all her. An excellent read.

An English woman buys a run-down house in Croatia and a man who lives nearby spends the summer helping them restore it. Sounds like the setup for a classic romance story. But The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna is a very different beast, exploring the effects of a horrific shared history on a small rural community.Laura is oblivious to the history and culture of Gost, and unconcerned by the impact the arrival of her family has on the town. Duro is trapped by that same history, reliving it through his first person narration, and unable to move on from the atrocities he has both seen and perpetrated.It's a complex book, building up pieces of the backstory gradually via muddled timelines. The use of the present tense for the sections in the past denotes how they are still so fresh in Duro's mind that he is forced to live them over again every day.There are moments of sweetness and domesticity in his interactions with Laura and her teenage children, but the sense of the heaviness and dread of what is to be revealed is never far away.I was enthralled throughout - masterful storytelling.

I was surprised to find that the latest of Aminatta's books was set in Croatia, as her previous works, like the author herself, were African themed, and some say, partly autobioghraphical in nature. This then is an interesting departure from her more usual style, and yet it was also the same in that it was set in the aftermath of war, this time in the Balkans.The narrator is builder Duro, who lives alone on the outskirts of Gost with his two hunting dogs. Gost seems an appropriate name in many ways for this fictional town, as it is one letter removed from ghost, the state in which many of the residents appear to reside. Duro first encounters Laura through the sight of his gun, while out hunting in the woods. When Duro learns that Laura has recently moved into the so-called blue house, and plans to renovate it, he volunteers his services, being in need of the work. As the story unfolds, we learn that Duro is already intimately acquainted with both the house and its history, as the former home of his childhood sweetheart and sister of his once best friend.There are dark under currents beneath the surface as we learn the secrets of both Duro's and towns past with its role in the ethnic cleansing that took part of the Balkans war. The war has understandably left scars, both physical and psychological upon the inhabitants, not least of all Duro himself. The book cleverlly addresses many of these issues and for many will I am sure leave unanswered and unresolved questions.The relationships between the various characters are brilliantly betrayed - Laura and her sunny, trusting personality, Kresimir's brutality and Fabjan's hypocrisy. As I said, this book covers many themes. Most of all though, it is a book about survival and the effects of war on a community, a community where the various occupants took sides against each other and are now forced to live with the consequences of that betrayal and guilt.

Having read this wonderful book while holidaying in Croatia, I would strongly recommend it, particularly to anyone who feels, like me, a lack of understanding about the Yugoslav wars, despite the backdrop of news in the 90s. Seeking to rectify this, I talked to a local girl while exploring the Croatian islands and, in outlining her youthful understanding of the situation, pointed out a magnificent building on the mainland that belonged to one of the generals in the Croatian Army and told me that the local community had bought this house for him after he was released from imprisonment in The Hague. He was a national hero...The Hired Men helped me to understand a little of why that would be, and made me want to find out more. It was beautifully written and, unlike some of the reviewers, I found the slow build to the climax quite compelling.I'm looking forward to reading more of Aminatti Forma's work.

Read this book while on holiday in Croatia and enjoyed the atmospheric build reminiscent of the smells and sights of the countryside - however it goes in a darker direction that has a real impact.

Good understated style,vivid description of characters and environment. Relatable and engrossing story told in a sympathetic and gripping way .