J.G. Ballard
1984
Around 350 pages
750! We are officially 75% done. If I walked away now, I would at least get a C in List Completion. But dammit, people, I can't walk away now. The end is nigh!
The novel recounts the story of a young English boy, Jamie Graham, who lives with his parents in Shanghai. After the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan occupies the Shanghai International Settlement, and Jim becomes separated from his parents.
After barely scrapping out a survival, he decides to try to surrender to the Imperial Japanese Army. After many attempts, he finally succeeds and is interned in the Lunghua Civilian Assembly Centre. The camp prisoners are forced upon a march to Nantao, with many dying along the route.
I'm unsurprised that Steven Spielberg adapted the film version. This is exactly the sort of sentimental war story that he loves to put on the big screen. Ballard infused his narrative with his real life experience, which gave the plot more weight than it might have had in lesser hands. I still enjoyed Ballard's dystopian work more. Still, this was an upsetting but ultimately uplifting story.
Here's to 251 more novels!
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
Adapted by Steven Spielberg in 1987.
Awarded the Guardian Fiction Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
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