The Cellist of Sarajevo: One: Kenan Summary & Analysis

Kenan wakes early, going to his kitchen to use his family’s final quarter-liter of water to wash his face. Though Kenan is only 40, he already feels like an old man. His wife, Amila, has also aged before her time. Kenan does all he can to ensure that his children will not be forced to age the same way. The kids don’t fully understand why or how Sarajevo has changed.

Now that the city’s infrastructure is so damaged that electricity and water no longer run consistently, Kenan must go every four days to get water. Usually, the best source for clean water is a brewery on the other side of the city. Kenan flicks on the light switch out of habit, then quietly lights a candle in the bathroom and begins to shave. When he blows out the candle, he is surprised to notice that the electricity is on.

Kenan goes to wake his wife so that his family can take advantage of this rare moment of electricity. But before he can give his family that small happiness, the electricity pops back off. Kenan gathers the water jugs he will fill at the brewery, making sure there are no cracks. He considers how many containers to take, settling on six—that way, Kenan can take two extra bottles for his elderly neighbor Mrs. Ristovski.

Amila gets up to tell Kenan goodbye. She tells him to be careful, though both Amila and Kenan know that there is no such thing as “careful” anymore. Kenan’s life depends on luck, though he is comforted by his wife remembering a time when he could be careful. Kenan goes out the door, then stops in the hallway. He wishes he didn’t have to go get water, that he could take his children to a carnival or a movie and never have to worry about war again. Hearing his children wake up inside the apartment, Kenan forces himself to walk away from the door.

Kenan walks down a flight of stairs, worrying about the day when he will be too weak to carry all the containers. He doesn’t want his son to come with him, since he is more terrified about his children dying than about himself. Kenan makes it to Mrs. Ristovski’s door and knocks. Mrs. Ristovski has lived here for years, since the end of the Second World War. Mrs. Ristovski complains incessantly, but Kenan somehow respects the old woman’s ferocity.

After the war started, Mrs. Ristovski barged into Kenan’s apartment, declaring that Kenan’s family had no idea of what people had to do to survive in wartime. Kenan promised to help Mrs. Ristovski survive, and now he must bring her water. Mrs. Ristovski opens the door, looking annoyed at the interruption. She harshly shoves two bottles into Kenan’s hands, though Kenan has been asking her for weeks to switch to bottles with handles. Mrs. Ristovski then closes the door, leaving Kenan to wonder why he doesn’t just give up on her. He rearranges his own bottles so that he can hold Mrs. Ristovski’s as well, then steps out into the street.