Not a Man : The Story of Shuki Bolkiah

Once in every while a unique vision emerges without warning and without precedent, that follows no trends, is virtually impossible to copy, and that has a resonance that grows and grows until it risks taking you over entirely.Such a book is 'Not a Man'.At its core, it's the story of a ten year old boy, Shuki Bolkiah, who is so grossly abused that he will never grow up to be a normal adult human being.But it is so much more than that .....Firstly, there is the writing that is almost like a whispered prayer, a sacred text.Then there is the abuser who really does love the boy he abuses and wishes to care for him forever..... and there is the country, harsh and magnificent, where deadly feuds spring from nowhere and many women are treated far worse than Shuki, ill-used and left to starve.Finally, there is Shuki himself, so irresistibly beautiful, so vulnerable, so intelligent, and so deadly in his turn.This is not a man. This is not a book. This is humanity in the dark and in the light. This is hope.