Born in Kobe, Japan, Amelie Nothomb (the daughter of Belgian diplomats) takes the reader to the Peking (yes, it was still called by that name) of the early-mid 1970’s. It’s not long before the reader realizes that this delightful novella is in fact a childhood memoir rather than a work of fiction. A short story to be sure, but yet it encompasses so much; first love, first rejection, politics, late Maoist China, war and diplomacy all told from the point of view of a little girl.

Amelie is five years old when she and her family (Belgian diplomat parents, an older sister and older brother) arrive in China where they will live in Peking’s multinational Diplomatic Compound, the San Li Tun ghetto for the next three years. This is the oppressive, bleak China ruled by the Gang of Four at the tail end of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Her parents, her mother in particular are distraught at the grey, ugly place they will be calling home for the next few years. The other adults in the San Li Tun ghetto harbor no illusions over their drab Chinese Diplomacy surroundings. But the children with the force of their imagination and ability to turn almost any situation into a fun game make the most of it.

Multiple nationalities share the compound and the roaming, unsupervised children in their boredom decide to re-enact or rather continue World War II with the same participating countries. However, the main players of World War II, Great Britain, The USSR, Japan and the USA each has their own separate compound, the latter presided over by the US Ambassador, one George HW Bush. Naturally there is THE main player, Germany (both West and East) which to the delight of the “Allied” children have their diplomatic headquarters in the same San Li Tun ghetto. However, to their chagrin, their parents have warned them not to “declare war” on the West German children as West Germany is now an ally; the latter abstain from the war game altogether. So that leaves communist East German kids to represent the Axis powers in their “game”. Amelie being too young to be a “soldier” is named a “pathfinder”; basically she scouts the ghetto on her bicycle-horse and then brings reports of the “enemies” activities. Her older brother is a soldier but her older sister is deemed too pretty and too delicate to fight, so she’s made a “nurse” to attend to the “sick and wounded”; there ends up being a lot of “sick” little boys who need the tender ministrations of nurse big sister.

I won’t go into the nasty, gross details of how these restless children torment one another, however, the war finally comes to an end …. sort of….when the son of the East German Ambassador catches pneumonia thanks to the Allies’ methods of torture.

Part of the charm of this novella is that while written by an adult it’s told entirely from the perspective of a child. All of the events are told from the intellectual and emotional understanding of the seven year old Amelie. Regardless of what the political and human rights (or lack thereof) in China and how the adults around her feel about being in Peking, Amelie is quite content and makes the most of her time by adapting to her surroundings or rather allowing (in her mind) her surroundings to adapt to her presence.

That is until the arrival of Elena, the six year old daughter of an Italian diplomat and his South American wife. All of a sudden the earth shifts on its axis and Amelie is no longer at its center. At the age of seven she can’t comprehend her feelings nor why she feels the way she does but she is about to discover the pain of unrequited love.

Elena is the most beautiful creature that Amelie has ever laid her eyes upon and her love for the Italian girl, who is only too aware of her own beauty, borders on veneration. Amelie’s innocent candour and childish attempts (she is only seven years old after all) to win over the bewitching beauty are met with either indifference or mockery. The lengths that Amelie will go to have Elena love her or at least notice her are both funny yet poignant. Amelie loves with the emotional intensity of a child which makes her suffering by Elena’s rejection even more acute.

‘Loving Sabotage’ is a delightful memoir that paints the cruelty, delusions and wonder of childhood. I should add that subsequent to the book’s first Italian printing all editions of ‘Loving Sabotage’ now come with an epilogue. When the novella was translated to Italian Elena read it and contacted Amelie’s publisher wanting to speak with her. Did Amelie and Elena meet and chat as adults? Do they call and whatsapp each other from time to time? Are they now BFF’s? If you’re really curious I suggest you read the book.