Reading Response #2

One thing that has really been bugging me throughout the novel is how Kenan and Dragan are constantly risking being shot whenever they are exposed to the snipers in the hills. This usually occurs when they are moving between cover of buildings. Kenan, who is trying to reach a brewery to get water, has to carry 4 empty jugs of water with him whenever he makes a mad dash from building to building. This obviously slows him down a great deal, leaving his a target for much longer. What I would like to see him do, is attach a rope to all the jugs, so that he can make his sprints to cover without the extra weight of the jugs, and then simply pull them across the exposed area using the rope.


One character, who is clearly particularly interesting, is the cellist. After 22 people buying bread were killed by a single shell, the cellist decides to play a piece every day for each of the victims. The problem is that he decides to play right where the shell landed, making him a political bull’s-eye for a sniper. What I find interesting about this, is the emotion that persuades him to do this. He could be doing it out of anger, sorrow, frustration, hope, and possibly even happiness. As a musician, I understand the different emotions music can both appeal to and evoke, so I would really like to understand what the music is doing for him.

To be perfectly honest, I expected all the characters would have merged into one plot by now. However, they continue to remain separate (expect the cellist who is now being defended by Arrow). I’m wondering if all the characters will eventually come “together” at the end, or if there is a reason they will remain separate. It would be interesting if one of the characters who seems like a main character at the moment (ie Kenan or Dragan) would end up being somehow associated with an event involving all main characters, but only playing a very small role. There is definitely the potential for the story to take some interesting turns stylistically.

In terms of what will happen next in the story, I think the main question is will the cellist survive his remaining performances? If Arrow is able to protect him and he lives, then this would defiantly be an inspiration to the city. At this point it is looking like the other sniper has outsmarted Arrow and will succeed in killing the cellist, which is why I am predicting he will survive. This would be the obvious, inspirational, heartwarming ending. Personally I think there is the potential for a much more interesting story looking at the reactions of the characters after the cellist’s death. I think the chances of the book ending like this are fairly low, but we’ll see where it goes.