Decades by NikoStreki
Recommended and reviewed by A.
The Narrator, a young boy hardened by poverty and warfare, resides in a fictional nation reminiscent of Yugoslavia during its dissolution and the subsequent Yugoslav Wars. Along with his countrymen, the Narrator suffers under the rule of President Freeman, a man with a name any sane person should consider changing upon entry into politics. Freeman is the last dictator in a long line of both domestic and foreign oppressors who have plagued the country and its surroundings for centuries.
During bombing raids perpetrated by foreign powers claiming to be against the dictatorial rule of Freeman, the Narrator is taken beyond consciousness while he watches mushroom clouds rise in the sky, into a piece of eternity, and there he seeks answers for the source of all questions: Why.
Decades explores the transcendental realm through the eyes of the Narrator, where the most direct restrictions, time and space, are surpassed. The view is no longer chained from within, but free flight to see the full picture from without, making peace with the past, present and future. Once free of the timeline, all moments become 'now' and the interconnections become clear – as the Narrator puts it, "It seems most of us trash through life knocking dominoes over, starting a domino effect...and the last domino piece is me and I'm about to be knocked down." – Intro to the chapter Quantum Jumps to the end of the Night. The Narrator is able to see through his life and those of his fathers, as well as the lives of the rulers and powers – all moments bundled together leading to his 'moment' in which he was, for the most part, powerless. Despite his attempts to rationalize his ineffable visions and experience of timelessness, the Narrator still comes across awkward, vulnerable and revealing of his youth, though not without reason.
Aside from being a reminder of real sufferings during the oppression and warfare of the 20th century (which extends into the future), the work encourages readers to zoom out, to see beyond the restrictions of the dimensions to which we submit. The narrator realizes rebellion will not bring about change; rather, he learns to lay down his bitterness.
"What was the point of all those arguments, fights, and hateful feelings?...I have hated people that I have never even met." – Intro to the chapter My Last Night Part 3.
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