Devin Murphy

Another WWII book, that has been compared widely with The Nightingale and All The Light We Cannot See. It is unquestionable that all three books show us a slice of the war from a European perspective; however, The Boat Runner is different in that the main character, Jacob Koopman is more of a combatant than the other books' protagonists, even if he was an unwilling one. This novel is also more gritty than the others and therefore felt more authentic as a war novel. Jacob's father is a factory owner in a small Dutch town, selling headlights to Volkswagen in the late 1930's. Jacob and his older brother are sent to a German indoctrination camp, but when the Nazi's invade, his family is wrecked, and Jacob joins his Uncle Martin, who seems to be a collaborator. When Jacob learns the truth, he joins the German war machine, earning distinction, and shortly thereafter, self-loathing, causing him to desert. On his way to freedom, his eyes are finally opened and his penance is both quite real and believable.… (mer)

>Within the front matter of the book, it states, “This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real.” For an author to write a book like Tiny Americans, one has to tap into the essence of real people. Devin Murphy captured the qualities of a dysfunctional family extremely well. He could have been writing about people I know. I am not sure what I think of the book. Read more… (mer)

During a recent visit to the Off the Beaten Path Bookstore, I picked up The Boat Runner by Devin Murphy. This was based on the recommendation of the owner, Bob. I found the book to be a thought-provoking and enjoyable read. The setting is Germany occupied Holland during World War II. It focuses on the decisions the inhabitants must make in order to survive physically and morally. Read more… (mer)