A beautifully written account of the siege of Sarajevo in the nineties that could easily apply to many corners of the world where people of different “tribes” live peacefully together but then are thrown into a conflict that pits neighbours and families against each other. Each night, nationalist gangs erect barricades, splitting the diverse city into ethnic enclaves; each morning, the weary residents – whether Bosniak, Croat or Serb – push the makeshift barriers aside.

The author mentions in her note that there are no ethnic identities but national identities in Bosnia, but unless you read her note entirely, you won’t understand why. Predvidljiva je dosta: vrlo lako možeš da proceniš ko će preživeti a ko neće (mada me je ipak malo žacnulo kad sam došla do pogibije) i kraj je zbrzan, cap, cap, cap, tako da ostajemo bez razrešenja za sve ostale ljude iz zgrade (koja, naravno, funkcioniše kao mala Jugoslavija, samo svi ostaju složni do kraja romana), što je bzvz jer se poprilično potrudila da izgradi sve junake i junakinje. Of course, the author hasn’t written this book to capitalise on the current war because I had received this book from Netgalley in January and it is meant to be published on the 30th anniversary of the ‘Siege of Sarajevo’. The ashes from the fires that took the library books, the artist’s canvasses and other historical items of significance.

The sky is cerulean blue until it dims to black, with the shelling and devastation of innocent lives lost, historic buildings demolished, books and papers blown by the wind. The reader understands that Sarajevo is a city in which people of many nationalities and religions live in relative harmony. In a Nutshell: An enlightening and traumatising fictional account of a war I wasn’t much aware of – the Bosnian war of the early 1990s. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Black Butterflies is definitely an eye-opening read as it is premised on a European historical backdrop in 1992 that I am not familiar with: the Breakup of Yugoslavia, the Bosnian War, and the Siege of Sarajevo.

The devastation of the war - the death, the hunger, the destruction of the city, the freezing cold of winter with no heat, and more - plays out on these pages. She shares Zora’s love and pride in her hometown and we too feel like it really is the most wonderful place in the world. Set in 1992, Zora Kočović is an art professor who lives in Sarajevo with her husband, Franjo (a former journalist), and her 83 years old mother.

It's been a long time since then and I thought I'd had my fill until this novel by Priscilla Morris came along with its enticing cover, for the 30th anniversary of the siege. The author’s note clarifies which two persons' experiences she combined and adapted into this story.

As the assault deepens and everything they love is laid to waste, black ashes floating over the rooftops, Zora and her friends are forced to rebuild themselves, over and over. There is a very sad death towards the end that I could acknowledge as heartbreaking but I didn't feel the sorrow because of that disconnection. In particular, I was inspired by the stories of my great-uncle’s loss of his art studio during the war. Zora’s story broke my heart and I hope will open the hearts of all those who read it to refugees at a time when history is destined to repeat itself.I was interested in the subject matter but this feels superficial in treatment and with no subtlety or nuance or additional historical insight, or any sense of knowledge beyond that which anyone outside of the former Yugoslavia could have read in the newspapers.

Set in 1992 Sarajevo, Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris is a harrowing (fictional) account of the first year of the Siege as seen from the perspective of fifty- five year old painter and Professor of Art at the Academy of Fine Arts , Zora Kočović, a civilian trapped in the war-torn city that has always been her home.

The author depicts the complexities of war that includes turning neighbor against neighbor, making difficult decisions to leave or stay, caring for strangers, family, and friends, waking up one day as a refugee, loyalty to neighborhood and homeland, friends and acquaintances of different ethnicities are suddenly enemies, separation of families, etc. From the start Morris envelopes you in the vibrant, cultural city of Sarajevo, describing it so vividly that the library, studio and bridges are all perfectly clear.