First Chapter Review and Giveaway: Father of One by Jani Anttola

 

Father of One by Jani Anttola is a literary war novel. The author is on tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. 

BLURB: Maka, a young Bosnian soldier, has survived three years under siege. When the enemy forces launch their final attack on his hometown, he must escape to the hills. But traversing the vast woods is a task against all odds: to stay alive, and to find his infant son and his wife, he is soon forced to make a desperate move.

Set against the harrowing background of raging guerrilla warfare and the genocide in Srebrenica, Father of One is, at heart, a story of deep humanity, compassion, and love. It is the account of one man’s desire to reunite his family, separated by war, and of bonds unbroken by trauma, sustained by loyalty and tenacity. Writing in a voice that rings with clarity and authenticity, Jani Anttola lays open a dark moment in Europe’s recent history.

COVER: This is a beautiful cover. The forests and mountainous terrain hold true historical significance during the conflict and for the main character of this story. What a perfect cover choice. 

FIRST CHAPTER: In a third-floor apartment of a multi-story building, a young woman shares a flat with nineteen other people, some family, most not. The phone rings. It brings unexpected and confusing news of the husband she has been missing as the siege has dragged on. 

KEEP READING: Wow! This has to be one of the most emotionally gripping first chapters I've ever read. Considering the book blurb, one thinks they will be introduced to Maka first. Instead, Anttola delivers to you a heartwrenching hook that involves the wife and family he is separated from. The tension ramps up, and by the end of this opening chapter, you can't help but continue because you need to know what will happen next. Roberts' keen eye for detail puts you right in that cramped flat with Maka's family. Amazingly well done!

Book Excerpt

This is it. 

He would shoot some of them, then kill himself with the last one. 

Maka counted his rounds. One in the chamber, four in the magazine. That was enough. And he had the grenade. He clipped off a cartridge and put it in his pocket. How many could he get? One? Two? More? He decided on three. A good number. He’d kill two on the road, then at least one more with the grenade when they stormed the house. 

Three lives for his. It sounded like some sort of a deal. 

He placed the muzzle of the automatic rifle into the rugged hole and took aim at the nearest soldier. He was about thirty metres away. Maka would drop him with a single slug. But when he looked at the man through the sights, over the blued metal of the gun, he felt bitter about dying this way. He knew the man outside was there to kill him and his kin, but what if he, too, was somebody’s father? He was probably in his forties and distantly resembled a clerk who had worked in the post office in Srebrenica. This Chetnik also wore a šajkača, with its V-shaped top making his head look like a pig’s hoof. He had a messy stubble and a moustache that seemed to hang from his long, thin nose, as he stood under the sun with weary eyes. 

So, you’re here to kill me? 

It’s you who’s going to die now. But I don’t do this because I like it. 

If there were a way to leave this situation without killing anybody, let alone himself, Maka would do so. Just it was too late. It was far too much, and nothing could get it undone. He positioned the sights in the middle of the man’s chest and calmed his breathing down. He took the slack out of the trigger, until he felt the tiny resistance of the firing mechanism in his fingertip.

• PURCHASE HERE!
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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CCVSJ1VV
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Book Guild
• Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 25, 2023
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 783 KB
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled 
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled 
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 317 pages 
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1916668232
• Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled 

I received a copy of this book from the author. This First Chapter Review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way. 

Jani Anttola will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. See Rafflecopter form for details. 

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