The first gunshot was single, from a handgun or rifle, and then there was the sound of a woman screaming. There was no way to properly describe this sort of screaming for those who haven’t heard it. It's a sound somehow beyond the limitations of the body that produces it, so harsh and sharp as to almost seem otherworldly but so animal as to produce in your own witnessing body a sort of shadow screaming that echoes violently around the inside of your chest.

This world full of war, anguish, and suffering is all Anna Lania has known. The excerpt above reveals the everyday violence and terror to which this character is constantly subjected. Gavriel Savit’s book Anna and the Swallow Man creates a captivating tale set against the backdrop of World War II and weaves together a story filled with resilient characters and precarious adventures. This tale is especially important today, as millions of people displaced by war again face devastating hardships we should all be more aware of.

The novel begins in 1939 in Krakow, Poland, where 7-year-old Anna lives with her father, a linguistic professor who passes down his love of languages to her. At the outset of World War II, tensions begin to rise and ripples of violence shake the everyday life of Anna and her father. At this point in the story, the Nazi army invades Poland and attacks several cities. German forces advance at a dizzying rate from left and right, bombing airfields and attacking naval forces in the Baltic Sea. The Polish army is able to mobilize one million men, but they are continuously outmatched and systematically captured. One day, Anna’s father heads out to take care of some business and never returns. He is presumably taken during a German purge of the city’s intellectuals.

As Anna worryingly waits for her father, she crosses paths with a mysterious and obscure character called the Swallow Man. They are brought together by their common love of languages, and soon Anna convinces this tall willowy stranger to let her accompany him. The pair set off on a never-ending journey to escape the brutal bloodshed taking place around them.

In the story, Savit develops a relationship between the Swallow Man and Anna that can only be described as ever flowing. The Swallow Man is Anna’s riverbank and she is the river. He says “a river goes where the riverbank does, it never has to ask which way but only flows along.” This is a significant element in their relationship and shows Anna’s constant dependency on the Swallow Man.

A prominent theme in Anna’s character development is her gradual loss of innocence. In the beginning of her adolescence, the Swallow Man tries to shield her from the war. However, due to the struggle and fighting around her, the innocent lens through which she views the world slowly begins to shatter. She starts to see the true horrors of the violent goings-on that seem to become a norm in her everyday life. This gradual effect of growing up plays a key part in the story. The book shows Anna’s transition from a small child into a strong woman. As she grows older, the reader feels the anger and confusion that she experiences when she witnesses the world change around her.

I believe Anna represents both resilience and determination. Through her actions she demonstrates that it is possible for people to rise above struggles and difficult moments in life. As the reader, I saw Anna as a bright light in a dark and ominous setting. Throughout the book, she turns out to be an exceptionally fierce and courageous character who remains strong in the face of adversity. Towards the end, even with the tremendous obstacles that she is forced to overcome, there are still aspects of hope and optimism within her.

Throughout the book, the Swallow Man is described as a mysterious, nameless traveller with a flawless ability to adapt and survive. In the beginning, his patient and generous side is prominent in his interactions with Anna, showing that he deeply cares about her. However, as the story progresses, the reader begins to see darker sides to his character. This leads both the reader and Anna to question their image of him as a virtuous hero. He justifies some of his actions by stating that “each man is the steward of his own soul,” so all individuals are responsible for their own well-being. This philosophy becomes a crucial aspect of the Swallow Man’s lifestyle and values. This worldview helps the Swallow Man during hard times and provides him with the skills to endure hardships

In the story, there is a considerable emphasis on languages. The Swallow Man and Anna use their linguistic talents to disguise themselves amongst crowds of people and adopt new identities when meeting strangers. The story describes the Swallow Man’s methods to deceive those they meet on their travels into providing them with food, water, and shelter. Depending on the manner of certain individuals, he adapts a new personality to align with theirs and comes up with stories based on the circumstances. Through the power of his storytelling, he is able to conjure up new realities and ideas that specially cater to the individuals that he comes across. Through Anna’s exceptional skill in language acquisition, she is able to master his mysterious way of life, which he calls “Road.” This is a terminology that the Swallow Man uses to explain the way that they must act when travelling and how they must conduct themselves in front of strangers.

My favorite aspect of Anna and the Swallow Man is that it is told from a child’s perspective, a world seen through a seven-year-old's eyes. As the pair venture along through Europe, Anna asks several questions about the warfare and fighting taking place around them. The Swallow Man uses western wolves and eastern bears to symbolise the different sides of the war, and explains the contrasting beliefs of these two groups. For instance, he tells her that while wolves travel and depend upon their packs, bears are more solitary animals. Once they travel to the border, Anna eventually begins to identify the wolves as German and the bears as Russian. The Swallow Man also teaches Anna many lessons that cultivate her ability to survive. Throughout their time together, he persists in fascinating her with his perpetual crypticness and continues to keep the reader curious about his mysterious background.

I give Anna and the Swallow Man four and a half stars out of five because of its intricate plot and complex characters. This book is suitable for readers of all ages. Younger readers will relate to Anna’s perspective, and older readers will understand the subtle implications about the bleak reality of war. In the current global context, with Syrian refugees fleeing genocide, I believe that it is especially important for people to read and learn about the events of World War II. Reading books like this one provides the younger generation with a platform to fully understand the basic moral issues of the Holocaust, as well as a reference point for realizing that , across history, there have been geopolitical situations in which people have been forced to leave their homes. . As more readers gain insight into the political and economic factors that caused World War II, they gain awareness of the discrimination and human values that influenced historical events.

Today we face another humanitarian crisis, as millions of displaced people flee conflicts in Syria and around the Middle East. While some citizens are hesitant to let refugees into their countries, others have welcomed them with open arms. For many people, these current challenges are reminiscent of the events of World War II and the Holocaust. Through reading books like Anna and the Swallow Man, we can better understand the hardships that suppressed groups have experienced in the past, and possibly prevent similar struggles in the future.

Savit’s beautiful writing evokes many emotions of both joy and sadness. Like the characters in the story, the author uses the power of language to skillfully bring together words and sentences that become engraved on the reader’s heart and mind. He creates a world full of bright, shining moments of hope and love amidst the contrasting backdrop of war and loss.