Rawi Hage has won the prestigious award for his debut novel, which is set against the desperate civil war of Lebanon of the 1980s. The book takes its title from the film, Deer Hunter, which starred Robert De Niro. The game in question refers to the rounds of Russian Roulette which De Niro’s character subjects himself to.
The narrator of the novel, Bassam, finds himself in circumstances as grim, extreme and nihilistic, where all choices seem to lead to outcomes bleak and savage. The award cited the novel not for its holding out on redeemptive possiblities, but its lyrical prose and cinematic-style writing.
Contributed by Nur Hakim Low, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services
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