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anusha_reads 's review for:
Small Boat
by Vincent Delecroix
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
BOOK #12 “SMALL BOAT” BY VINCENT DLECROIX, TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH BY HELEN STEVENSON, LONGLISTED FOR #INTERNATIONALBOOKERPRIZE2025
Small Boat is a fictionalized account of a real-life tragedy that occurred in November 2021, when an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants capsized in the English Channel, resulting in the deaths of 27 people. The story is told from the perspective of a French coastguard radio operator, who finds herself repeatedly questioned by the police in the aftermath. Her voice is measured, professional, yet haunted, revealing the tension between what she heard, what she did, and what she wished she could forget. She becomes both a witness and participant in a tragedy that refuses to be neatly explained.
“DON’T YOU FIND IT SOMEHOW OBSCENE, WHEN TWENTY-SEVEN PEOPLE HAVE DIED THROUGH YOUR FAULT, TO BE FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF, WHEN SURELY WE SHOULD BE FEELING SORRY FOR THEM? BECAUSE THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU’VE BEEN DOING, RIGHT FROM THE START, THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE IMPLYING: YOU’RE MORE CONCERNED FOR YOURSELF THAN FOR THOSE MEN AND WOMEN.“
Reading Small Boat felt like entering a space of difficult, necessary reflection. It raises meaningful questions, though I personally found the repetition to slow the momentum a little. That said, I think this is one of those books whose impact depends a lot on the reader’s state of mind.
Small Boat is a fictionalized account of a real-life tragedy that occurred in November 2021, when an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants capsized in the English Channel, resulting in the deaths of 27 people. The story is told from the perspective of a French coastguard radio operator, who finds herself repeatedly questioned by the police in the aftermath. Her voice is measured, professional, yet haunted, revealing the tension between what she heard, what she did, and what she wished she could forget. She becomes both a witness and participant in a tragedy that refuses to be neatly explained.
“DON’T YOU FIND IT SOMEHOW OBSCENE, WHEN TWENTY-SEVEN PEOPLE HAVE DIED THROUGH YOUR FAULT, TO BE FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF, WHEN SURELY WE SHOULD BE FEELING SORRY FOR THEM? BECAUSE THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU’VE BEEN DOING, RIGHT FROM THE START, THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE IMPLYING: YOU’RE MORE CONCERNED FOR YOURSELF THAN FOR THOSE MEN AND WOMEN.“
Reading Small Boat felt like entering a space of difficult, necessary reflection. It raises meaningful questions, though I personally found the repetition to slow the momentum a little. That said, I think this is one of those books whose impact depends a lot on the reader’s state of mind.