“They used to say I was very sick and that playing might kill me. In truth, they were not wrong. I was very sick for my brothers and I felt sure that if I played with others, laughed, joined in their games, I would be betraying them, alienating myself from them forever.” – The Last Brother, Nathacha Appanah
Raj is the last brother remaining in his family after his 2 brothers tragically die in a flash flood on the tropical island of Mauritius. With this devastation, the family move from the hellish poverty of the shanty camp that was the only place Raj knew. His father got a job at the “prison” and though it was only on the other side of the small island, it was a world away. Here, an unlikely friendship forms between Raj and a young Jewish refugee in the detention center, David. Raj and David enjoy a brief period of joy together where they can play, be themselves, and forget about what they’ve lost in their lives. Sadly, tragedy strikes again when David’s frail body cannot withstand the rigors of Raj’s determined trek and the wrenching natural elements.
“The French words we used were foreign to both of us, from now on it was a language we had to bend to what was in our own minds, to what we wanted to say, no longer, as it was at school, simply decoding and repeating.” – The Last Brother, Nathacha Appanah
The story is a reflection on childhood innocence and coming of age, trying to enjoy the simplicities of life and the joy of childhood while learning about and dealing first hand with the difficulties of the world – tragedy and loss, abuse and violence, war and misunderstanding. I wish we knew a bit more from David’s perspective but it’s always interesting when someone seemingly insignificant in the world can have a lifetime impact on another. David was only 10 years old, he could not have achieved amazing things, but his perspective on life was wiser beyond his years, and he lived on in Raj’s memory for years to come.
In a world of over 7 billion people it is easy to think you are lost in a crowd. But you are 1 in seven billion, you are you unique, you are you, you have a story, you have an impact in this world.
“…Knowing that regrets serve no purpose, that you need a lot of luck to fulfill your dreams, that the best way to live is to do your utmost at every moment and that so many things will happen without us, even though we spend all out time scurrying like madmen , in the belief that we can make some difference.” – The Last Brother, Nathacha Appanah
FURTHER READING:
The little known story of the Jewish refugees detained in Mauritius
The book The Mauritian Shekel tells the story of the Jewish detainees
TRIVIA on Last Brother
Words Without Borders Book Review
