Synopsis: In 1935, Miguel Navarro finds himself in conflict with the Spanish Civil Guard and flees the Basque fishing village of Lekeitio to make a new start in Guernica, the centre of Basque culture and tradition. Once there, he finds more than just a new life - he finds someone to live for. Miren Ansotegui is the charismatic and graceful dancer he meets and the two discover a love they believe nothing can destroy.
Rich in the history of the region, the Red Baron, the Luftwaffe and even Picasso make an appearance in Guernica, as the fate of the Ansotegui and Navarro families are traced through the early decades of the twentieth century.
This is a book of two halves really and I can see why it has been compared to Captain Corelli's Mandolin, with its mixture of quirky local characters and the horrors of warfare (but don't panic those of you who struggled with Corelli, this is a much easier read).
The first half is quite whimsical and humorous, following the story of the Ansotegui brothers as they grow up on a farm in the Basque country and afterwards as they set off on their chosen paths as farmer, fisherman and priest. Justo Ansotegui's daughter marries Miguel Navarro and they live a seemingly idyllic life, with only hints and rumours of the events taking place elsewhere in Spain.
(Incidentally, quite a lot of characters from various families are introduced in the first few chapters, mostly with Spanish names beginning with J, M or A, and it can get a bit confusing at times, but by about a third of the way in I'd got a handle on who was who.)
The background to this is the complex politics of the Spanish Civil War, with Franco declaring war on the Basque people for their perceived splitting of the Spanish nation and for blocking his attempts to capture Bilbao. Again, don't panic - this isn't a book about politicians, it's about the people who have to live with their catastrophic decisions.
The bombing of Guernica by Franco's German allies, and the death and devastation that ensue, are horrifically portrayed over 15 pages in the middle of the book. Dave Boling says in his author's note that the actual death toll at Guernica is disputed, but the reason the bombing had such resonance is that it was an attack on a civilian population. As one of the heroes of the book, Father Xabier Ansotegui says, "When you see burned children laying in the street, charred, melted, you don't count them. When you see a group of boys fused into a blackened mass, you don't take an inventory. How many died? How many? Death was infinite."
Father Ansotegui is based on a real priest who was a close advisor to the Basque president and witnessed the bombing. Other real life figures make cameo appearances in the book, including Picasso who was living in Paris at the time but read about the atrocity in the newspapers and was compelled to paint his famous mural.
This is Dave Boling's first novel and he was inspired to write it by his wife's Basque family who told him about the bombing. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it an informative and ultimately uplifting read.