Murambi, the Book of Bones

"[W]hat is true of Rwanda is true in each of us; we all share in
Africa." -- L'Harmattan

"[This novel] comes closer than
have many political scientists or historians to trying to understand why this small
country... sank in such appalling violence." -- Radio France
International

In April of 1994, nearly a million Rwandans were
killed in what would prove to be one of the swiftest, most terrifying killing sprees
of the 20th century. In Murambi, The Book of Bones, Boubacar Boris Diop comes face
to face with the chilling horror and overwhelming sadness of the tragedy. Now, the
power of Diop's acclaimed novel is available to English-speaking readers through
Fiona Mc Laughlin's crisp translation. The novel recounts the story of a Rwandan
history teacher, Cornelius Uvimana, who was living and working in Djibouti at the
time of the massacre. He returns to Rwanda to try to comprehend the death of his
family and to write a play about the events that took place there. As the novel
unfolds, Cornelius begins to understand that it is only our humanity that will save
us, and that as a writer, he must bear witness to the atrocities of the
genocide.

From the novel:
"If only by the way people
are walking, you can see that tension is mounting by the minute. I can feel it
almost physically. Everyone is running or at least hurrying about. I meet more and
more passersby who seem to be walking around in circles. There seems to be another
light in their eyes. I think of the fathers who have to face the anguished eyes of
their children and who can't tell them anything. For them, the country has become an
immense trap in the space of just a few hours. Death is on the prowl. They can't
even dream of defending themselves. Everything has been meticulously prepared for a
long time: the administration, the army, and the [militia] are going to combine
forces to kill, if possible, every last one of them."