The Cellist of Sarajevo

This is a fictionalized account of actual events during the siege of Sarajevo. After witnessing the death of 22 people killed by mortars while waiting in line for bread, a cellist risks his life to play Albinoni's Adagio for the next 22 days to honor them. Galloway presents a vivid, in depth picture of living in a war torn city by following the daily routines of several people and examining their thoughts over the three weeks the cellist played.

Through Kenan and Dragan we witness the danger of obtaining water or simply crossing a street to go to work; their fear of death from opposition snipers is palpable and not easily forgotten. Their thoughts as they rationalize the risk, hope for a better future, and long for the past are haunting. My favorite character is Arrow. She is complex and ruthless, hardened by war yet very human. As an expert sniper assigned to protect the cellist, her chapters raise the tension and suspense. Although the style is literary, at times it reads like a documentary, so it may not be a book for everyone.

A spare and haunting, wise and beautiful novel about war, the endurance of the human spirit, and the subtle ways people reclaim their humanity.

FINALIST 2009 - BC Book Prize's Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
NOMINEE 2009 - Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award - Fiction Book of the Year
NOMINEE 2008 - Scotiabank Giller Prize

In a city under siege, four people whose lives have been upended are reminded of what it is to be human. From his window, a musician sees twenty two of his friends and neighbors waiting in a breadline; in a flash they are killed by a mortar attack. In an act of defiance, he picks up his cello and decides to play at the site of the shelling for twenty two days, honoring their memory.

Elsewhere, a young man leaves home to collect water for his family and must weigh generosity against survival. A third man searches for bread and distraction and instead meets a long ago friend who reminds him of the city he thought he had lost. As both men are drawn into the orbit of the cello's music, a fourth character - a young woman, a sniper - holds the fate of the cellist in her hands. As she protects him with her life, her own army prepares to challenge the kind of person she has become.

Inspired by a true story, The Cellist of Sarajevo explores how war changes our definition of humanity, the effect of music on endurance, and how a romance with daily rituals can itself be a form of resistance.

1. What effect does constant confrontation with war have on each narrator? Does suffering and loss ever become normalized for them? What does it mean to reintroduce color and music into this anarchy?

2. How has life changed since the men on the hills arrived? What physical and mental resources help the four characters survive? How would you fare under these conditions, and what would be your greatest challenges?

3. Each chapter is told through one of four perspectives. How does that structure shape your reading? How would the experience differ in first person or in a more journalistic style?

4. How do Arrow, Dragan, and Kenan view their fellow citizens and their choices? What keeps them from giving up on one another? Does Kenan's idea of the three types of people ring true to you?

5. Does the author intend readers to be sympathetic to Arrow? Does war force everyone to compromise something in themselves - their attitude or moral compass?

6. What are the goals of the men on the hill? What do they represent to the main characters, and how are they different from Arrow?

7. Dragan avoids friends, Arrow takes a new name, and Kenan builds a ritual of getting water. How do rituals help them cope? Do the cellist's performances change how they face danger?

8. What force does music have in a war torn city, and what power does it hold over each character? Do you relate to the impact of the performances?

9. How does mapping Sarajevo - its streets, crossings, and landmarks - affect the narrative and your intimacy with the story?

10. Kenan is disturbed by halted trams and the burned National Library. What services and symbols do you consider pillars of civilization?

11. Why does the opposing sniper avoid taking a shot at the cellist when he has opportunities?

12. Why does Dragan prevent the dead man's body from being filmed? What lesson does the author suggest for the living about not letting horror become commonplace?

13. Were you surprised by Arrow's final act of protest? Is she able to reclaim herself and her identity?

This book highlights the atrocities humans can inflict and provokes reflection on the senselessness of war. Arrow's character will spark debate as her need to defend her city clashes with the cost to her identity. The most arresting aspect is that the story is rooted in real events. The cellist, though lightly sketched, is integral to the novel's moral core and to conversations about courage, ritual, and resistance.