"I used to think I was exiled from my country. But, in retracing the steps of my past, I have understood that I was exiled from my childhood. Which seems so much crueler."

Breathtaking in its simplicity and complexity, this is the story of a childhood and how it was lost during a war that the protagonist Gaby didn't really understand. This is a story of how a biracial boy learns that I cannot choose or fully embrace any one of his identities, they are determined for him by the circumstances of the times. He can be all of the things that he is and none of them all at once, different parts are emphasized based on who wields the power. Through his eyes we get to see how a country and a people are torn apart, how neighbors and friends become mortal enemies, and the cruelty of humanity when the right elements combine and fester.