This extraordinary novel is a master-class in storytelling. Jani Anttola has captured the horrors of war and internment in the historical context of Bosnia and Serbia in the 1990s, which sadly now has shocking relevance to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The brutal penal conditions in Serbia are written with a brilliance matching Henri Charrière's now classic Papillon.
This is a story that grips from the very start as the author weaves domestic triumphs and tragedies, hopes, fears and ambitions, around the people who fought a war no-one wanted and soon saw those in authority using the age-old instinct to cover up their crimes.
The hero of this story is treated with medieval cruelty setting a tense and often harrowing pace in a story it would be impossible to forget.

I dont even know if I can write a review to do this book justice, and capture just how many emotions it had me feeling. This is definitely a book that will stay with me for a very long time.

Set during the Bosnian war and the genocide in Srebrenica, this book follows Maka, a Bosnian soldier, as he does everything he can to survive. His main focus is to reunite with his wife, and meet his son, as his wife was pregnant when they were separated. His wife, Amelia, is in Germany, safe with their son Dino, but Maka must do everything he can to stay alive during the most grueling of times, in order to be reunited with them.

The emotions I felt whilst reading this book were overwhelming, not only is the storyline captivating, the way the book is written makes it impossible to put down. It really does capture everything so well. I genuinely felt pained reading some of what Maka went through. You know its an amazing book when you actually root for the characters. I cried tears of sadness and happiness, and I didn't want the book to end.

The flashbacks to happier times throughout the book were a brilliant break from the main story too, they helped set the scene leading up to the start of the war, and helped us understand the characters and their motivations even more.

This book amazingly captured true determination, and how love trumps everything, it empowered Maka and gave him the fight he so desperately needed.

Maka is a soldier from an area near the border between Bosnia and Serbia where the fighting is very intense. It shows us his time in the middle of warfare, surviving when separated from his platoon, in police custody and a prison camp enduring all the horrors and brief glimpses of humanity. We get chapters that show how his wife is living as an exile in Germany as well as their love story leading up to the present day.

The beginning has a lot of violence and the realities of war. The violence is hard, but what is brilliant is the reasons people survive, the times when people crossed lines to help a fellow human regardless of their ethnic and religious identity. I also appreciated how we also saw the realities of after the war. What does it mean to not be able to have a home in your own homeland? What is it like to reunite with your family you've longed for and yet your journeys have been so different. I really appreciated the exploration of these topics and the humanity, the reality, of surviving such strife.

There is no author's note to tell us how much of the story is based in reality, but in the About the Author, we see that the author was a soldier in the Bosnian army so I feel like there probably are some strong realities portrayed on the page.

Thanks to Love Books Tours for gifted access. All opinions above are my own.

For readers who enjoy historical fiction or stories of the struggles of Eastern Europe, this book is for you! I typically read books about WWII, but when I read the description of Jani Anttola's book Father of One, I was intrigued. Maka is a Bosnian soldier who has spent years fighting the war, longing for his wife and child...who he has never met. Maka is constantly fighting for his life. The author did an amazing job describing the raging guerrilla warfare and the genocide in Srebrenica. This was a topic that I knew very little about, but was enthralled. This book provided an amazing description of a horrifying war, a beautiful country, and a love story to keep you rooting for Maka. One suggestion, if you are not familiar with this time period and what the people of Bosnia experienced, it is worth it to learn a little upfront or to learn as you go. As much as a I read, I have not seen a lot of books from this point of view with such vast descriptions. I am so glad I read this book and feel that I have a better understanding of such a sad time in the history.

“Father of One” is the tale of one Bosnian soldier, Maka, who escaped the Screbrnica massacre (also known as Srebrenica genocide) in July 1995 when more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were executed near the town of Screbrnica. The novel opens when the Bosnian Serb forces penetrate his town and he escapes to the hills, thinking only of reuniting with his wife (who had escaped to Germany) and young son he has never met.

This is a heartbreaking tale that describes one of the most horrific events in recent history. Parts of this novel were hard for me to read because of cruelty of some of the people whose hearts are full of hatred. But just because something is difficult to read doesn’t mean it should ever be swept aside to be forgotten. The author, a Finish medical doctor who had fought alongside the Bosnian forces, writes beautifully, always showing the resilience of the human spirit. Even in the worst of worse circumstances, there are moments of kindness, hope, and love, and this is what keeps Maka going. A strong five stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.