The Optician of Lampedusa

Review from Hunstanworth Village Hall Book Group.
'The Optician of Lampedusa' comes from the 'reportage' genre of writing and is a true story of 'rescue and the awakening of conscience'; a story tale about a humanitarian disaster.
October 2013, leading a quiet life on the small island of Lampedusa (7.8 sq miles and a population of 6000) the Optician contemplates the lull in business that comes with the end of the tourist season without any idea of the events that are about to unfold and dramatically change his life.
Perfectly calm seas allow the Optician, his wife and six friends to plan a sea trip and all is well - but not for long - waking early the Optician investigates what he thinks are the cries of seagulls but the noise turns out be from people adrift in the Mediterranean Sea.
So begins the harrowing story of the rescue of 47 migrants (on a boat with a capacity for 10 people), and the distressing account of the aftermath that comes with the knowledge of the 368 men, women and children that they did not manage to rescue.
A brief book, 120 pages in total meant that this story was very accessible to us all and we all finished reading the book. Although short, the tale is a powerful one and we were all moved by Emma-Jane Kirby's account of the events around this Lampedusa tragedy (one of many) and angered by the complacency of individuals and governments who seem untouched by these disasters.
We had an extremely interesting discussion about refugees and migrants, the differences between those migrating for financial reasons and refugees who leave their homes for political reasons. Is our sympathy greater for one over the other?
A couple of members brought up very interesting points; that the author is using the Optician as a literary device, he not only has his eyes opened to the suffering that is taking place but he also opens up our eyes to it, and that though we may feel can do little to make an impact, remembering this story and challenging misconceptions around the plight of migrants and refugees is something we can all do.
Although not an 'enjoyable' book; the subject matter is harrowing and there are some distressing scenes, we were all glad to have read it.
Rating: very high scores were given with the majority ranging between 4 and 5 (out of 5). A couple scored slightly lower with 3.5 as they felt the would have liked to hear more of the migrants' voices.

This is a harrowing and sad read but so well written, we truly thought that everyone out there should read it. There are thousands of refugees dying each year trying to cross over from Africa to Europe but their story isn't being told and more, much much more needs to be done to tackle it. The optician's experience is horrific and well-told but there isn't a happy ending to this - its still happening. Perhaps if this became compulsory reading more people may feel they could get involved to help. Reading this excellent true account is just the start, we now need to work on how to end it.

The Optician of Lampedusa began life as a radio dispatch from the frontline of the migrant crisis, and it retains much of that journalistic sense of urgent reportage as well as a clear, narrative-driven style. Emma-Jane Kirby relays the dramatic and hugely emotional account of one man who, along with his wife and six friends, finds himself thrust into the midst of this harrowing humanitarian disaster one day at sea when they find hundreds drowning around them. Eyes and sight are an important metaphor here as the book, like its titular optician, guides us to see with clarity the scale and real, human devastation wrought by such tragedies and the failures of governments to take action.