It is written in the 1960s, 20 years after World War II. It narrates the story of an Italian general, sent to Albania, with the mission to pick up the dead soldiers' remains that were still left in Albania, so that they can be returned to Italy and buried home. It isn't a fun mission, obviously, and it is written in a way that reveals the tensions between the Albanian local population and the foreign armies of Italy and Germany. Yes, I also read the Introduction, which more or less acted like an independent third-party assessor, which cautioned me from Albanian bias that was expected to be there, or else the state censors would not have allowed its publication. But in any case, it was still a fascinating read.
I suppose there are plenty of episodes in this novel that shows the follies of war. There are multiple episodes showing how arrogant the foreign Italian general could be, who seem to be insulted by almost every event he partakes in with the villagers. It basically has this vibe of Albania - collectively as a society - putting Italy - represented by the general - in its place. I really don't know much about the social dynamics between Italy and Albania nowadays, but through this novel, I have learned a little bit more about the history of these two countries.
Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed reading this book. I haven't picked up an Albanian novel before, and so through this book, I was able to widen my scope further and explore the literature of this part of the world. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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