In May 1992, as the siege of Sarajevo entered its second month, 22 people were killed as they queued to buy bread. For 22 days after, the local cellist Verdran Smailovic played Albinoni’s Adagio in G Minor on the site of the bombing. In The Cellist of Sarajevo, Steven Galloway imagines those 22 days. What is happening in the lives of Sarajevo’s citizens as this musical tribute (or act of defiance) plays out? Are they trudging for miles to collect water, dodging sniper fire and shelling, like Kenan Simunovic? Are they contemplating their escape like Dragan Isovic? Or are they taking up arms and fighting back like Arrow? A moving, beautifully paced book that resonates with bittersweet sadness, warm compassion and simple wisdom.