FATHER OF ONE
Jani Anttola
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GENRE: war novel/literary fiction
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BLURB:
Maka, a young Bosnian soldier, has survived three years under siege. When the enemy forces launch their final attack on his hometown, he must escape to the hills. But traversing the vast woods is a task against all odds: to stay alive, and to find his infant son and his wife, he is soon forced to make a desperate move.
Set against the harrowing background of raging guerrilla warfare and the genocide in Srebrenica, Father of One is, at heart, a story of deep humanity, compassion and love. It is the account of one man’s desire to reunite his family, separated by war, and of bonds unbroken by trauma, sustained by loyalty and tenacity. Writing in a voice that rings with clarity and authenticity, Jani Anttola lays open a dark moment in Europe’s recent history.
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EXCERPT
This is it.
He would shoot some of them, then kill himself with the last one.
Maka counted his rounds. One in the chamber, four in the magazine. That was enough. And he had the grenade. He clipped off a cartridge and put it in his pocket. How many could he get? One? Two? More? He decided on three. A good number. He’d kill two on the road, then at least one more with the grenade when they stormed the house.
Three lives for his. It sounded like some sort of a deal.
He placed the muzzle of the automatic rifle into the rugged hole and took aim at the nearest soldier. He was about thirty metres away. Maka would drop him with a single slug. But when he looked at the man through the sights, over the blued metal of the gun, he felt bitter about dying this way. He knew the man outside was there to kill him and his kin, but what if he, too, was somebody’s father? He was probably in his forties and distantly resembled a clerk who had worked in the post office in Srebrenica. This Chetnik also wore a šajkača, with its V-shaped top making his head look like a pig’s hoof. He had a messy stubble and a moustache that seemed to hang from his long, thin nose, as he stood under the sun with weary eyes.
So, you’re here to kill me?
It’s you who’s going to die now. But I don’t do this because I like it.
If there were a way to leave this situation without killing anybody, let alone himself, Maka would do so. Just it was too late. It was far too much, and nothing could get it undone. He positioned the sights in the middle of the man’s chest and calmed his breathing down. He took the slack out of the trigger, until he felt the tiny resistance of the firing mechanism in his fingertip.
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Author Interview
Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb. It’s based on a true story and real people. I didn’t feel it was necessary to stick this proclamation on the cover because the information shouldn’t really affect the reading experience one way or the other. Also, I think “less is more” should already show from the book’s cover. Do you have any bad habits while you’re writing? No – writing keeps me away from bad habits. First book you remember making an indelible impression on you. I read a lot when I was a kid, but one that springs to mind is Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I re-read it recently, and it still resonates the same way. Of course, there are many outdated stereotypes and language but, looking at it purely from the writing craft perspective, it’s still one of those classics that have a lot to offer. What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Maybe I digress – it’s not about my childhood or anything, but I’ve noticed there’s this type who’s always ready to invalidate what you say. Either you don’t know what you’re talking about, or you’re biased or just an outright fool. But when you write out that exact same idea, perhaps with a little different wording, suddenly it becomes an irrefutable truth. Because, you see, when you’re a published author, you’re an intellectual specialist of all things deep and mysterious. When, of course, you’re probably still a biased fool who’s got little or no idea what he’s on about. So that’s the power of written language. If you want to impress those same people in speech, you just employ hyperbole, hatred and lies, and it'll do the same trick. Is your life anything like it was two years ago? Writing-wise, I’m yet to be discovered by a wider audience, so I don’t have my phone ringing or the paparazzi stalking me yet. All quiet and peaceful! But the world, in general, has got me worried. The big boys are again goose-stepping us into trouble. You don’t need to be a doom-thinker or a cultural nihilist to predict how this is all going to play out. Seeing what the United States currently is, what Russia has always been, and what China wants to become, I don’t think anybody should expect happy endings.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jani Anttola is a Finnish novelist and a medical doctor. In the 1990s he served in Rwanda with the French military and fought in Bosnia as a soldier of the Bosnian army. His works have been published in the UK and Finland. He has spent most of his adult life abroad, working in Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific.
Author website: https://www.jani-anttola.com/
Buy links
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Father-One-Jani-Anttola/dp/1915603986
https://www.amazon.com/Father-of-One/dp/1915603986
https://bookguild.co.uk/bookshop/historical/father-of-one/
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Thank you so much for featuring FATHER OF ONE.
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThe blurb and excerpt sound great.
ReplyDeleteI love the blurb and and look forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteThis looks really good. Thanks for sharing.
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