Sebastian is the story of a 16-year-old man coming
to terms with losing part of his leg, the consequences it has on his life
thereafter and the affect it has on his family and friends in Vienna.
When I first started reading this book I thought it
would gravitate solely around Sebastian, the protagonist. That is not the case
at all. While he remains firmly at the heart of the story, the tale shoots off
in multiple directions exploring the impact the amputee’s life has on his
family, especially his mother Vera.
The story moves through pre-war Vienna, the city at
the height of the First World War and life afterwards. While the story touches
upon historical events, it does not become bogged down, opting to focus more on
the consequences it has on the day-to-day lives of the characters. In plot and
characters the story was very rich.
I would have liked to have seen the settings described
in a little more detail, however. The First World War carved a Europe of stark
contrasts in terms of environments. While some places were left virtually
untouched by war, others were obliterated. I felt the story was crying out for
more description of these places to allow the reader to become more absorbed in
them.
Other than that, Sebastian was a very enjoyable
story with believable characters, who I could easily believe existed at that
time.
It gets 7/10.
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