An Author with Something to Say
Bernard Jan Look for Me Under the Rainbow banner
When Croatian author Bernard Jan approached me and offered me an advanced reader copy of his upcoming novella, Look for Me Under the Rainbow, I was both thrilled and intrigued.
First, I was highly impressed with his first book, A World Without Color. Second, I was wondering if he could transition from writing a memoir to writing fiction.
No need to worry. He managed the transition effortlessly.
They always teach us to brand ourselves as authors and to have a strong voice. Guess what? Bernard Jan has both. He truly cares about environmental issues and he is a true advocate of animal rights.
Indeed, he is an author with something to say. Something worth listening to. A message for our times. A warning.
Look for Me Under the Rainbow
Cover of English edition of Look for Me Under the Rainbow by Bernard Jan
If A World Without Color was about the last weeks with his cat Marcel, Look for Me Under the Rainbow is about baby seals hunt for their fur.
Like the first book, it is a tearjerker and not an easy read for those of us with sensibilities.
What he does right is personify these little creatures, give them personalities, myths, and a culture.
They feel not like animals but people. As they should if we want to empathize with their plight.
Another accomplishment is the author could have taken the easy way out and portrait all humans as ‘evil’. Nonetheless, he shows both sides, good and bad which encompasses humanity.
As you read, you will follow Danny, Jon, and their parents and friends from birth to early childhood to their eventual demise. The arctic waters will feel not like a different world but your backyard. Their dreams and games not unlike those of human children.
And yet, their fate is so different.
From the beautiful cover to the elegant prose bordering at times in poetic, you can tell there was lots of care into this narrative. This is the kind of story that will make you question why we hunt our fellow creatures.
As a bonus, there is a list of websites and resources if you want to get more involved. And you will.
I will rate the book a 9/10.
Final Thoughts
Harp seal in Magdalen islands. IStock photo
Can writing change the world? Perhaps it can; perhaps it cannot. If it can change a few minds, at least we will be moving in the right direction.
A problem I have with some writers, myself included, is that we can get preachy when we have something to say. We need to entertain first and left the message to evolve organically from the story. Bernard Jan achieves this better than in his previous book.
Read this short novella because he has a strong voice, like a guilty conscience telling us to step away from our unawareness and do something. Anything to save and preserve our animals. His brand of animal activism and his message is welcome in our home libraries. Alas, it is also an indirect exploration of the human condition.
Look for Me Under the Rainbow goes on sale on April 17th, 2018 through Amazon and other sellers. Get your copy. No, it may not be science fiction or fantasy, but the horror is all too real. And so would be the tears and indignation.
Because sometimes all you need is a big heart and a burning desire.
Reader, have you read Look for Me Under the Rainbow? Did you cry with Danny? Share in the comments.
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