Broken April

A 26-year-old man born and raised in the High Plateau, Gjorg Berisha is one of the central protagonists of Broken April. The opening scene of the novel immediately places him in a high-stakes situation, as he shoots and kills a man. His attitude toward killing Zef shows he is not a hateful or violent person. When Gjorg attends Zef’s funeral later in Chapter 1, he observes the mourners, thinking, “They were cold as the March day, as he himself had been cold, without hatred, yesterday evening as he lay in wait for his quarry” (15). He kills Zef not out of emotional rage, but out of obligation to honor the blood feud. Gjorg isn’t afraid to question his actions. While positioning Zef’s body to honor the Kanun, he asks himself, “Why am I doing this?” (9). He doesn’t always have an answer, and despite questioning the Kanun, he continues to honor it. He is thoughtful but also meanders, unable to formulate a solid plan for the remaining days granted to him. Throughout the novel, Gjorg questions the dominant worldview of rural Albania, thus appearing as a sympathetic character and not a one-dimensional killer.

Gjorg displays sensitivity throughout the story and seeks personal redemption for what he did.