by Anne-Laure Bondoux
translation by Y. Maudet
Delacorte, 2010. 180 pgs.
(originally published in French, 2009)
Young Adult Fiction / Middle Readers
Hardcover: $17.99
Annotation: Koumail and his adopted mother struggle through the turbulent Caucases on his way to reclaim his French citizenship and reunite with his birth mother.
Summary: Born a French citizen under the name of Blaise Fortune, Koumail now resides in the Republic of Georgia with Gloria, the woman who saved him from a horrific train accident which injured his mother. Gloria rescued Blaise from the train, slipping him from his mother's bosom as she whispered his name, but Gloria was forced to flee the scene before she found out what happend to the woman. Since then, the two impoverished souls have been a comfort to one another, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union, unrest and fighting break out and Gloria feels it is now time to begin their journey to France--to reclaim Blaise's rightful heritage and find his birth mother. Along the way Koumail meets many friends and endures endless hardship. As they travel from refuge to refuge, slowly moving across Europe, Koumail begs for the story of his mother and his rescue time and again and with each telling Gloria reveals more details.
With each step of their journey Koumail learns more about life, meets both evil and good and looks forward to meeting his mother. But as the two are forced to keep moving by the encroaching army and lack of food, they find themselves again walking to their next refuge with Koumail trying to imagine his feet belong to another child, because if they are not his, he will not be able to feel the deep cold and the bleeding soles that remind him of his suffering. Gloria's hacking cough is a worry to Koumail, but she assures him she will not die until he has no more need of her. Struggling to navigate their way through a war-torn country, the two finally find themselves at the end of their journey and the French border is so close, but both Gloria and Koumail might not be able to make the crossing and Koumail can't imagine a life without her. And when Koumail/Blaise ultimately discovers the truth about his family, what will he do?
Evaluation: A Time of Miracles is a magnificant book and Bondoux does a remarkable job as she takes us on a journey of discovery. The tragedy of life in the Caucasus is artfully laced with experiences of exquisite compassion and rather than being ponderous and depressing, the beauty of Gloria and Koumail's souls offer a resplendant hope that people can indeed triumph. The mystery of Koumail/Blaise's past is divulged piece by piece so that the reader's attention is cleverly kept and each of Koumail's experiences offers another look at a desperate childhood, made bearable by human kindness. One of my favorite sentiments as taught by Gloria reads, "Never despair of human beings. For every person who lets you down, you'll meet dozens of others who will help you". The translation is quite good and the book is recommended for sophisticated middle readers or young adults.
Significance: There is a wider world of suffering and heartbreak that some readers can only imagine, but the power of the human spirit to triumph over them both and the beauty and strength of a mother's love make each experience a miracle. Koumail is like each of us, struggling to find out who he is and wrestling with the discouragements and the triumphs that define our being, no matter what our parentage.
Personal Choice: A Time of Miracles was originally published in French and because I speak the language, I felt a certain kinship with the book. And because it was published in the U.S. on my exact birthday, it was doubly auspicious and certain of making my 'to-read' list.
Awards: Batchelder Winner, 2011
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