The Hired Man, by Aminatta Forna (2013)
This novel takes place over the summer of 2007 and is narrated by Duro Kolak, a life-long resident of a small Croatian village. An English woman and her two children suddenly appear and move into the "blue house", a house that holds memories for Duro. The house had been empty for some time, so Duro approaches her and offers to help make repairs.
As Duro recounts the summer and his relationship with the English family, Laura and her teenaged son, Matthew, and daughter Grace, memories of the recent Balkan Wars come flooding back. As a child, Duro and a close friendship with Fabjan, Kresimir and his younger sister, Anka. Together, they would go hunting in the nearby woods. Duro had a secret romance with Anka, but when it is discovered, he was forced to leave town. When he returned to the village a decade later, life seemed to pick up where it had left off, except Anka was married and now lived in the Blue House. Civil War has erupted in Croatia. Who to trust?
As Duro and Grace work to repair a mosaic on the wall of the Blue House, she guesses that Duro is hiding dark secrets from an earlier time. Slowly, the layers of Duro's past are peeled away, and we learn what keeps Duro and the other villagers attached to their small community.
This was a wonderfully written novel.
Read: September 3, 2026
5 Stars
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