Although Cornelius wants to write fiction, his life itself is a beautiful instance of the author's own imagination. His story is fictional. On the other hand, when the author writes himself into the book as an character, those stories seem more non-fictional, because in the story, he is a non-fiction writer, as he is in real life. This adds layers to the story, but it also points the reader to understand that there were both real, political aspects to the Rwandan Genocide, as well as narrative, or psychological aspects.
Cornelius's journey for appreciating the violence takes him down a rabbit trail that he probably has to work very hard to comprehend and accept emotionally. His own father is literally responsible for murdering members of Cornelius's home community (Cornelius was abroad when the killing happened). His own mother died in that instance, leaving Cornelius in a peculiar, Oedipal relationship to the Genocide.
Perhaps one way of interpreting Cornelius's complex relationship with the Genocide would be to take the mother and father as symbols referring to Cornelius's own self, or his soul or something. One conclusion that might be drawn that way is this: Perhaps Cornelius is like his mother in some ways, perfectly victimized by horror, by loss, and by tragedy. Then again, perhaps Cornelius (like all humans) has aspects of the father's violence, weakness, and hatred. By accepting responsibility for his own evil, he can prevent himself from becoming hateful like his father, like Star Wars.
