Stones in Water
Donna Jo Napoli
About the author:
Donna Jo Napoli is an American writer of young and adult fiction. She is currently a professor of linguistics in Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania. Her famous works of fiction are “The Bravest Thing and When the Water Closes Over My Head” including Stones in water.
About the Book:
The book Stones in Water is a 1997 work of fiction loosely based on a true story on account of young boys in concentration camps during World War II. The basic theme of this novel is the struggle for survival and sub-theme may be Friendship. However, The book is generally for young readers yet it contains intense themes e.g. brutality and horror of war. The story revolves around a young and innocent boy Roberto from Venice a city of Italy. The character of the protagonist develops as the story goes on. The author has used round characters for her piece of fiction.
The book contains a total of 209 pages. Penguin Group published the book for the first time in the United States of America in the year 1997.
Review:
Summary
It is a story about a young boy, Roberto who is from a small town in Venice, Italy. Roberto is captured by the German soldiers at the cinema in Mestre. Roberto his elder brother Sergio and his friend Samuele sneaked from home to watch a new American movie. German soldiers raid the theatre and they take everyone with them. They separate the boys according to their age group. Roberto has separated from his brother. The soldiers take these boys far away from their homeland and force them to build a prison for jews. Samuele has a dangerous secret which, if discovered could end up in their death by the Nazis. Therefore, Samuele has to change his name to a catholic name Enzo since he is a Jew.
A passage from the Novel.
“Jews talk about it.” Enzo rubbed his nose and looked away. “It hasn’t been going on all that long. It started in the spring. Death camps. They’re in Poland, I think.” The words came out with slow deliberateness. Matter of fact, as though they weren’t the worst words in the world. “Jews are moved from the work camps to the death camps. There’s a work camp near Munich.” Enzo looked back at Roberto. “When our train pulled up to the Munich station, I figured I’d die there.” Enzo’s voice held the same tone it had when he came out of the water yesterday — the tone that was so terrible. The tone of resignation.” (Napoli, Donna Jo. Stones in water, USA, Penguin 1997 Page 61)
But Roberto is an innocent boy, but he learns quick thinking and he names his friend Enzo. Both boys have separated from their other friends and now they are on their own. They share skimpy food rations. One of the boys from the camp discovers Samuele’s and he starts to bully both of them. He takes half of their rations by blackmailing to reveal Samuele’s identity. In cold winter nights, they use potato sacks to cover themselves and if they are the first to find some dead bodies they strip the dead for warmer clothes.
Friendship
subsequently, The friendship between Enzo and Roberto is remarkably strong because they share a deep secret and Enzo (Samuele) always takes a stand for Roberto. Cold nights at the camps are so traumatic for such young souls; Enzo’s stories are lullabies for Roberto. Roberto helped a young Jew girl by giving her his food when he was building the holding pen for Jews. They continue to live like this until Samuele is beaten in the ribs to death by a gang of boys fighting for his friend’s boots. Their friendship comes to an end. Roberto is left on his on to survive in such a cold and brutal environment. Donna Jo Napoli digs deep in the emotions of her Protagonist that a reader will notice a torn and baffled boy who is left alone in an alien environment far away from his homeland.
Escape
Roberto decides to escape the camp for his safety. He faces a lot of difficulties on the way; Roberto has to cover himself in a potato sack. and he starved until he finds an Italian soldier and together they row down the river safely.
“Stones in Water” is a gripping and a diligent novel which takes a reader through the journey of war. The setting of the story drags the attention of the reader that he finds himself sitting a freezing barn with Roberto. The author has beautifully played with the art of language. The book is worth a read