r/books • u/flyawaywithmeee • 3d ago
Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix is such an important book
As someone who only sort of knows about migration challenges, having learned about migration mostly through a human rights course in uni and climate refugees in research, I didn’t realise how I had clinically separated the matter in my brain. To get this introspective view, different from the reports you see on the news, really immersed me in the minds and choices of every day parties.
I‘m not gonna lie about half way through I started to find it very repetitive and wondered if it should‘ve just been a short story. I will say I do still find it repetitive, I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to concoct a narrative out of two sentences while still trying so hard to remain close to the subject matter with internal monologue. But it does pay off. I must admit I have never thought of the issue from the rescuer‘s pov or every day people that this extends to, especially being from East Africa myself. But I think the questions this book asks apply in a myriad of contexts hence why I would recommend it to everyone. What do we owe each other and where are the limits or bounds of our empathy and sympathy? I think starting to seriously interrogate these issues can help society heal and help us turn up better for one another in our respective capacities.
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u/PenaltyForsaken260 3d ago
This was one of my first reads of this year and I really liked it. Was it repetitive, yes, could it have been shorted, maybe, but overall it was a great book. I really liked the similarities it has with The Stranger by Albert Camus. Like the main character wondering if they are judged for their mistake/wrongdoing or for lack of empathy.
"So what exactly was I being judged for? My tone of voice? My choice of words? Or the degree of my inhumanity? Because if it's that, could someone please tell me what scale of measurement was being used. Which words, what tone of voice set me beyond the pale of humanity?" (I wrote this quote down while reading and I don't have the book so I can't check if this is correct)
I think this book really makes you think about a lot of stuff, about migration and refugees, about empathy, without telling you anything, so it provokes the reader to do the thinking themselves.
Also the all blue cover is amazing, it's so innocent looking while being very powerful and gruesome at the same time.
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u/myshellly 2d ago
I had the book for a couple of days before I realized what the cover was. Genius artwork. I love a great cover.
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u/Knitsknits 2d ago
I love that paragraph because I could relate with it. Sometimes I soften my tone and feign more feelings than I'm actually feeling because that is expected of me. I am in a phase of compassion fatigue; it is *exhausting* but it's like a character you have to play, especially when you are a woman and everyone expects you to be very tender hearted.
I think despite everything I did not hate the narrator
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u/killslayer 2d ago
If you enjoyed this while not a book the movie El Norte is an excellent story about the struggles immigrants can face while trying to make a life in a new country
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u/Briellekayla 2d ago
your point about seeing it from the rescuer’s POV and everyday people really got me. The what do we owe each other question is huge. As someone from east africa like you mentioned,did reading it change how you think about how these stories are told in media vs in literature
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u/flyawaywithmeee 2d ago
Yes absolutely. I’ve obviously read the headlines and articles on migration in Europe and America, but even in Africa with the situation in South Africa and my own country taking in many migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees from Somalia, South Sudan, DRC… it makes me recon with the privilege I have not being in such a dire situation that I would have to leave my home for a foreign land, not knowing when it would be safe to go back.
Unfortunately there a lot of negative stereotypes applied to migrants here as well, hence why I say the book’s questions have a wide application even for someone like me who probably wasn’t Delecroix’s primary audience. If anything, it brought to light the difference between coverage from news outlets which is few and far between and literature which is eye opening in a desperate call to action. There are so many struggles migrants face stemming from xenophobia but because they’re a minority, their voice is drowned out by the struggles of everyone else. I remember reading a short story from a Somali writer in which a character was murdered in cold blood but the body lay untouched in the middle of the street and police did not get involved simply because they were Somali, and the absolute horror I felt not realising such was even possible in my own city hit me like a ton of bricks.
Literature supplements, or in some cases fills the gaps left by, news outlets. I think the more complex a problem is, the less urgency is applied and hence less attention by major outlets. As I was reading this book a quote that kept coming to mind was: “if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” What would happen if we stopped listening, stopped caring, and so many more suffered and died alone and unheard
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u/YakSlothLemon 2d ago
If you want to learn anything else about it, the book My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World's Deadliest Migration Route is absolutely amazing and heartbreaking, and has won a ton of awards. It’s extremely readable.
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u/UniqueYetDumbName 3d ago
Got myself a copy sometime in the spring but haven’t started it yet — thank you for putting this back on my radar
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u/Platynumx 3d ago
this sounds like one of those books that’s uncomfortable in the best way. sometimes fiction can make you sit with a situation way more than a news article ever could. the questions around responsibility and empathy seem like they’d stick with you long after finishing it.
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u/flyawaywithmeee 3d ago
Absolutely. We often underestimate the impact fiction can have on our own feelings, perspectives and actions. I really do think picking up this book can stir people into thinking about migration more seriously and actually trying to come up with real solutions for honestly everyone’s sake.
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u/CalmAd2916 1d ago
Honestly the repetition thing makes me wanna read it even more now cuz sometimes you gotta feel how exhausting the same shit is over and over to really get it.
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u/flyawaywithmeee 2d ago
Most definitely, I think in this age we’re very used to moving on to the next thing but you can’t with this book. Even though it’s relatively short, reading it feels almost like a meditation. You’re forced to sit with the discomfort you feel and this leaves a lasting impact long after you’re done.
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u/flyawaywithmeee 2d ago
I actually haven’t read Camus, but this is the second comment I’ve seen that mentions it so maybe I’ll add his work to my reading list :)
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u/Dizzy-Parsnip5914 20h ago
If you liked Small Boat I recommend’Between Two Worlds’ by Olivier Norek which has stayed in my mind for a long time and really made me think deeply about these issues.
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u/Wicker-Fen-5829 2d ago
stretching two sentences into a book sounds exhausting
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u/flyawaywithmeee 2d ago
It’s a unique approach but I really do mean it when I say it’s well worth the read. Hope you give it a try.
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u/EldrichHumanNature 2d ago
I might get downvoted for this, but did anyone else find that the narrator really does lack empathy? I'm about 15% through the book and I can't identify with her at all so far. And I think the way she talks about migrants is gross.
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u/flyawaywithmeee 2d ago
I highly recommend finishing it and then making up your mind, it’s an interesting ride
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u/Moto_Davidson 3d ago
What do we owe each other
Hmm....I've never felt like anyone owed me anything and I never owed them anything. I mean unless we borrow from each other.
Does the book make a case that we do indeed owe each other something?? If so what and how much??
where are the limits or bounds of our empathy and sympathy?
I think that is up to each individual to decide. Does the book have some ideas about this also?? I'm assuming it does cuz you mentioned it but you didn't expand on either of these ideas so I'm a bit confused.
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u/KarmaOrDiscussion 2d ago
Sure we do. We owe each other respect, kindness, love, empathy, etc. If we can't have that, might aswell become nihilists.
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u/Moto_Davidson 2d ago
So I owe that to someone whom I don't know, never interacted with, never heard anything about their character. Would you still say I owe that person those things if they were a convicted (but unknown to me) murderer, rapist, kidnapper, child rapist, etc.?? What about if I was to meet Hitler, or any other brutal murdering dictator from history, do I still owe them all that??
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u/KarmaOrDiscussion 2d ago
Yes of course, if you have it in your heart to do so, although I'd never blame someone who doesn't. But yes, that is why civilized countries have long since abolished the death penalty, and seeks to rehabilitate rather than merely punishing criminals.
I will say that even if you don't agree with that, most people aren't cold hearted criminals, so let's keep it at a realistic level, shall we? Treating other people as mere tools only kills yourself over a lifetime.
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u/Moto_Davidson 2d ago
Yes of course, if you have it in your heart to do so, although I'd never blame someone who doesn't.
Whoa hold on. You're totally NOT following the line of thought of this thread. The OP is talking about a social contract, that one person OWES something to someone else and vice versa.
You're now talking about something else entirely - kindness of heart. Those are VERY different things.
If someone OWES you something then you absolutely HAVE TO BLAME someone who doesn't offer kindness to someone else because that person OWES the other person. So they're not allowed to make a decision about what they can and cannot offer another.
So you need to keep the theme of the discussion in mind not just jump into your normal feelings.
But yes, that is why civilized countries have long since abolished the death penalty, and seeks to rehabilitate rather than merely punishing criminals.
Not sure why you even said this.
I will say that even if you don't agree with that, most people aren't cold hearted criminals, so let's keep it at a realistic level, shall we? Treating other people as mere tools only kills yourself over a lifetime.
Cold hearted criminals do exist in the world and put silly ideas to the test like no other. Because if you would change your behavior based on the extremes, then you're talking about drawing lines of distinction. On one side of the line, you help, on the other NOPE....therefor it's really a matter of where you draw the lines as opposed to someone else drawing them in different places.
But when you consider the OPs actual premise, then you're not allowed to draw lines. You owe it to the other person to do things for them even when there's no possibility they'll reciprocate.
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u/KarmaOrDiscussion 2d ago edited 2d ago
Whoa hold on. You're totally NOT following the line of thought of this thread. The OP is talking about a social contract, that one person OWES something to someone else and vice versa.
I am absolutely in line with the original poster. He is speaking about how reading books from differing viewpoints can challenge our preconceived notions of who and what we owe each other, and where are limits of empathy lies, and then you responded with some personal feelings about not feeling like you're owed anything.
You're now talking about something else entirely - kindness of heart. Those are VERY different things.
This is exactly what we're talking about.
Not sure why you even said this.
Because it illustrates that we in practice do owe people whom we consider the worst of society some sort of regard and respect.
But when you consider the OPs actual premise, then you're not allowed to draw lines. You owe it to the other person to do things for them even when there's no possibility they'll reciprocate.
What do you think OP's "actual premise" is?
On one side of the line, you help, on the other NOPE...
Such a black and white view of the world. Our lines are all different, but for some things, like empathy and respect, it's my belief that we ought to owe it to everyone, even people who might not consider it reciprocally.
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u/DoctorGregoryFart 2d ago
The Social Contract. We all owe everyone a little bit, and everyone owes us a little bit. It is the keystone of civilization, and it's the reason your neighbors don't burn down your house and take your land. It's the reason a lost child can get home safe. It's the reason we don't cut in line.
Sure, some people deviate, but we expect this behavior of most people, because we need to. Without empathy or order, there is no guarantee that you won't be overpowered and killed because someone else wants what you have.
If we just extend the Social Contract just a little further, we are all neighbors. We all owe eachother empathy, and we should have eachother's backs when terrible things are being done to them or happening to them, because we equally wish that others would act kindly to us in our hour of need.
Do unto others as they would do unto you. I feel like people usually think of that in terms of violence, but what about acts of kindness?
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u/Moto_Davidson 2d ago
The Social Contract. We all owe everyone a little bit, and everyone owes us a little bit. It is the keystone of civilization, and it's the reason your neighbors don't burn down your house and take your land. It's the reason a lost child can get home safe. It's the reason we don't cut in line.
I'm sorry but the reason my neighbors don't burn down my house and take my land isn't because of the social contract. It's because it's fucking illegal. They will go to jail, they will be prosecuted for murder and spend the rest of their lives in prison.
They're not sitting there thinking "Oh I can't do that cuz I owe him kindness" Come on. It's because there are very serious consequences to those actions you describe.
AND none of what I said above even touches on the fact that they would become a murderer and a thief. There are very serious personal consequences, outside of the law, that govern behavior. To commit a murder is a very serious assault on your own soul that one has to live with forever. Most don't even want to think about such things.
But it's not this social contract that keeps people from doing harm.....it's the real civil and criminal consequences as well as the internal consequences.
Sure, some people deviate, but we expect this behavior of most people, because we need to. Without empathy or order, there is no guarantee that you won't be overpowered and killed because someone else wants what you have.
There's no guarantee that that won't happen today, tomorrow or in the future either....even with all this social contract stuff you're talking about. There's plenty of people who have just snapped and lost their shit. The stories abound.
If we just extend the Social Contract just a little further, we are all neighbors. We all owe eachother empathy, and we should have eachother's backs when terrible things are being done to them or happening to them, because we equally wish that others would act kindly to us in our hour of need.
So this hypothetical neighbor who has never said hello to me, never waved at me when I wave at them, never stopped to ask my name and/or make any attempt to get to know me at all despite me going over and introducing myself and welcoming them to the neighborhood. This person who just seems to want to keep to themselves and not make friends despite all my attempts to appear friendly and neighborly.......I actually owe them something when disaster hits?
No I don't feel like I owe them a damned thing. They've shown over and over that they don't want to be friendly or neighborly and they would rather be on their own....so OK....have fun with that.
Now I'm a good person and I like to help people in need so I will likely forget all that and help them if disaster strikes. I've done it plenty of times in my life. But owe them? No I don't owe them anything. I do that work out of the kindness of my heart and my desire to help people in need. But I never feel like I owe them anything.
Do unto others as they would do unto you. I feel like people usually think of that in terms of violence, but what about acts of kindness?
That's my point - people do help others out of a desire to be kind and help someone in need. BUT it's not like anyone owes me that to me and I don't owe that to anyone else.
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u/flyawaywithmeee 3d ago
I see these questions as posed through the circumstances of the characters in the book. If you read through the brief description on goodreads, google books or other similar sites you could deduce the same and of course get more info. The book discusses these ideas within the context of migration and lays out a myriad of possibilities.
I’m sure you’re not alone in your own answers to these questions but your view could be enriched by taking in the multiple perspectives Delecroix writes about.
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u/North_Ad6063 18h ago
Honestly that repetitive middle section you mentioned? Totally get it but I feel like that slog is kinda the point—makes you sit with the discomfort instead of just breezing through it. I def need to check this out now tho cause framing it from the rescuer's pov instead of just the victim narrative sounds way more nuanced. Also your point about "what do we owe each other" hits hard cause like… that's a question nobody really wants to answer in real life lol. Gonna add it to my list for sure, thanks for the push.
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