Le Passé Devant Soi

The Past Ahead is the story of the destinies of two people after their

experiences of the genocide in Rwanda. Isaro is orphaned, exiled, and now

returned to her native country. Niko is a character in a novel that Isaro

writes to help her understand her country's recent horrific past. Isaro's

quest to recover the memory of the life she has lost is haunted by her

nightmare imaginings, whose horror is given expression through Niko, a mute

social outcast. When an army intent on massacre reaches his village, the once

gentle young man is forced to become a killer. After the fighting ends, Niko

retreats to a cave that he shares with a family of gorillas to try to escape

the burden of his guilt. In his solitude, he is plagued with painful memories

that will not leave him. As Isaro writes Niko’s story, she succumbs to the

sadness of death, violence, and the dreadful reminders of her terrible past.

Stunning and powerfully written, Gatore’s novel lays bare the unfathomable

human cost of this international tragedy.