The Cellist Of Sarajevo Analysis

The Cellist of Sarajevo, Steven Galloway

In Steven Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo, the chapters alternate between the different perspectives of three main characters. One of which is Arrow, a female sniper with immense ability who is sent to protect the cellist from other enemy snipers. Mindful of her value, she limits her involvement in the war – she will not, for example, target civilians. A code of ethics is her sole luxury. The other two are 62-year-old Dragan, who has a longed for job at a bakery, and Kenan, a middle-aged man who lives like a hostage in his apartment with his wife and children, venturing out every few days only for water. Although they never meet, the two men have similarities – especially a shared fear, which they struggle against as witnesses to the daily acts of bravery and boldness carried out by their fellow citizens. Galloway’s style is spare and unadorned, an accurate reflection of the skeletal city and its emotionally stricken inhabitants. “[Arrow] wonders what will be left standing when morning comes, whether there will be any noticeable difference in the

However, the chronicle shuffles between events, as the story does not take place in sequential order, with many reminiscent flash backs. Kathy believes she is telling the story of how fortunate and privileged she was and of her relationships, but she’s really telling the story of an alternative world where clones are living their finite lives to assist other people live longer, more prosperous ones. Her friends “complete” their “donations” and die at twenty three and twenty-eight, and Kathy accepts this even as she, at thirty, prepares to begin her own. The privilege is anything but, and the most alarming thing of all is how completely and utterly Kathy accepts her