All Your Children, Scattered

A really enjoyable and evocative read that was well written with a compelling and emotive storyline and well developed characters. The civil war in Rwanda isn't one I know much about but after reading this I want to learn more about it.

I love reading books from Europa Editions, in that the independent publisher introduces me to authors (often in translation) that I otherwise wouldn't encounter or might not think to give a try. All Your Children, Scattered tells the story of one family splintered by the Rwandan civil war in the 90s, and we follow the daughter, Blanche, who escaped to Bordeaux and made a new life. She returns to reunite with her mother, Immaculata, and learns exactly what happened to her brother. The third viewpoint is Stokely, Blanche's son, tries to figure out who he is and where he belongs. The writing was excellent and I thought the alternating chapters and perspectives were used to great effect. Recommended.

All Your Children Scattered looks at three generations who have been torn apart by the Rwandan genocide and the ways it has affected them after. Having fled to Bordeaux, France in 1994 to escape the civil war and start a new life, Blanche decides its time for her to return to her homeland of Rwanda and reunite with her mother, Immaculata. Upon her return, old wounds are opened as Blanche finally discovers what happened to her brother Bosco, meanwhile Blanche’s son Stokely who has never set foot in Rwanda before suddenly begins to question his identity, his roots, and where he actually belongs.

Honestly, what an absolutely stunning piece of literature. It’s been a while since I read a ‘proper’ piece of literary fiction, where a books prose is just so beautiful and breathtaking, and where every line, every sentence, every word is so incredibly profound, and it was so refreshing to read something like this.
HOWEVER, this book is a very tragic and very difficult read. For those who don’t know much about it, the Rwandan genocide happened between the 7th April and 15th July 1994, as part of the Rwandan Civil war. During this time frame hundreds of thousands of Tutsi’s (ethnic minority) were killed by armed Hutu’s (ethnic majority), and this book looks at how each generation deals with the devastating effects - from Immaculata who was present, to Blanche who fled before it happened but knew about it, to Stokely, who wasn’t even born when it happened.

The only downside to this novel is that the beginning is very slow. You’re immediately thrown into Blanche’s perspective with next to no introduction as to who she is, and you only learn about the other characters as you come across their POV’s in subsequent chapters, so things get a little confusing. But once you’re past this, you’re certainly into the story.

Such a moving, and beautiful book, which reminded me a little of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous with the prose that is written in (as that too discusses the aftermath war), so if you’re a fan on that, I’d certainly give this a try.

All your children, scattered is a wonderfully poignant story of a Rwandan mother, Immaculata, her daughter, Blanche, and her son, Bosco, a family torn apart by war and the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Bosco runs away to fight in a valiant but doomed attempt to unite with his absent father, breaking his mother's heart. Half French, Blanche is evacuated to safety in France just before the tragedy of the genocide begins- one hundred days of brutal slaughter of the Tutsis, a minority race in Rwanda. Immaculate barely survives, but despite escaping with her life, her relationship with her children will never be the same and this, she will mourn for the rest of her life.

I had to do a little research into the war and the genocide as I have very little historical knowledge, and it helped a lot though the book does a wonderful job of giving you a lot of insight into what happened and why, without feeling like a textbook.

The author explores various complex issues such as family and love, identity, prejudice trauma and grief. The way that Blanche and Bosco's lives are forever altered by the horrors of the same war could not be more contrasting. Being half white, Blanche's experiences are completely different to those of her mother and brother. It is very realistic and is a very bleak reminder of how race can play such a significant role in the outcome of an individual's life. The resentment this causes between family members is heartbreaking and yet so realistic. This is, at times, a painful read. Ultimately, though, we see a glimmer of hope for a better future, embodied by Stokely, Blanche's intelligent and loveable son.

This is a wonderful translation and I just can't recommend it enough. There is also a strong focus on the beauty of language and how it ties in with individuality and identity. I'd love to be able to read French to experience this novel in its original language!

Sensitive and poetic writing to tell the story of a displaced family and the horrors of the Rwandan genocide.
Each chapter is from the point of view of a different family member, connected in time if not always in space.

“Our hormones don’t fill us with boundless love, no, it’s time to put an end to that myth. If women kill less, often it’s not because they’re overflowing with tenderness, it’s because they’ve had their fill of repressed violence, the one that inhabits the hollows of their fecund bodies, which belong to all of society.”

This beautiful debut novel, translated from French, follows three generations affected by the genocide against the Tutsis. Blanche returns to Rwanda after living in Bordeaux with her husband and son, Stokely. There, she reconnects with her mother, Immaculata. We see the complexity of their relationship through alternating first-person narratives. While Stokely, struggling to find his place between two cultures is told primarily through a third person narrative.

There is a prevalent theme of silence throughout the novel. How things left unspoken can cause wounds through generations and Stokely builds a bridge between mother/grandmother and daughter and provides healing.

“Silence is a defensive weapon, cold and smooth, which a woman case use her whole life long against men, against her progeny, against herself. It’s a prison without walls. Hang myself on my own tongue, isn’t that what I did?”

The novel is set before, during and after the atrocious genocide that was committed in Rwanda against the Tutsis.

Immaculata was the character I enjoyed reading the most. Her chapters were so raw, heartfelt and full of pain. There were so many poetic and spine tingling quotes from her (two of which I’ve used above!)

Whilst I enjoyed the first person narratives for their poetic prowess and raw emotion. The third person storytelling aspects in some parts of the novel let the story down and were a bit jarring.

A wonderful exploration into Black storytelling, how silence can be a killer and wound generations future generations, how war affects not just those who live through it, but those who come after as well.

Beautifully written, this is an incredible novel told through three generations of the same family and how the Rwandan genocide affected the characters both at the time of the events and the aftermath and trauma of this brutality. I loved how each chapter was dedicated to a different family member’s perspective and with each chapter we uncovered another piece of the puzzle to complete the history of this broken-hearted family. Dealing with themes such as identity and language and particularly the power of silence, this book was intense and filled with emotion whilst filled with some truly memorable and lyrical prose.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

An absolutely stunning read. Raw and emotional describes the impact of the Rwandan genocide on three generations of family members. At only 200 pages I flew through this not wanting to put it down! So well written, so emotional, so gripping.