Ismet Prcic

I probably would not have found this novel, SHARDS, had not its author, Ismet Prcic, been doing a joint reading/signing with a writer friend, Benjamin Busch (DUST TO DUST). I had Ben bring me a copy of Prcic's book, and I'm glad I did, because it is a deeply disturbing and creepily compelling piece of fiction, a book I found hard to put down.

One could easily forget that SHARDS is a novel, partly because its protagonist is also named Ismet Prcic, and partly because its narrative arc has such an immediacy, creating a sense of reality not often found in contemporary fiction, often weaving in dated excerpts "from Ismet Prcic's diary." But then the schizophrenic side of the narrative kicks in, the dreamlike parts where Ismet's shadowy alter ego, Mustafa Nalic, moves to center stage, a soldier drafted into the religious-political war that is ripping his beloved Bosnia apart.

Because, like Ben Busch's celebrated memoir, Prcic's novel is a child born of modern wars. Prcic himself, having grown up in Tuzla, a city that was in a constant state of turmoil and war for years, suffers from PTSD. SHARDS is his attempt to sort it all out, to expiate his feelings of terror, anger and guilt. Indeed his 'character Ismet' has been directed by his therapist to "write it all" down. And so he does, all of it, including his nightmares, alcoholism, suicidal thoughts and black holes of depression - and a general feeling that, in his new life in California, he is surrounded by people who are, "in every (g*d*)way better than me."

With its chaotic and often confusing mixture of memories and horrific hallucinations (which often require a strong stomach), SHARDS is one of the most unusual fictional debuts in recent years. It is, alternately, a war story and a coming-of-age tale, and the two themes meld seamlessly. Also a filmmaker, Prcic now follows another recent Bosnian refugee, Aleksandr Hemon (NOWHERE MAN) onto the literary stage. Take a bow, Mr. Prcic. I will be watching for your encore. Highly recommended.… (mer)