A perfect read for Remembrance Sunday.

A quick read of just 159 pages all of which hold your attention and capture your heart.

A simple tale of those who enlisted in England to fight in the Great War in 1914; expecting to right the injustice of a German invasion and to be home again by Christmas.

The story centres on William Turner a young rifleman destined to serve in the trenches around Ypres. He is idealistic, but open and supportive to his comrades in arms; he wants to make a difference and his engagement with others has an impact. He carries the trauma of his Mother’s death as a child and his broken relationship with his Father.

The author wanted to tell the story of the Christmas Truce and in these few words has created a believable fiction of how that ceasefire may have come about.

I enjoyed the sense of place and the realities of what awaited each new batch of recruits as they neared the front. The novel is carefully researched with a great desire to be set within a historical landscape to bring the story of a tangible peace within the setting of a Flander’s battlefield. I appreciated the different relationships that build up the story and provide structure and emphasis on the fragmented friendships at home, among the men and across the ranks.

I particularly enjoyed the deep loyalty the soldiers forge. This has counterpoints with the unit’s padre and his God. William with the refugee and his ‘pet’ mouse. The man taking his son to visit the battlefields and his commitment to find peace beyond the cessation of war, even after the Armistice has been signed.

William finds love, hope and fashions a peace that endured that hopefully is instilled in the reader’s of this incredible book.

A great story has many carefully selected words and scenes the author wishes to create. There is so much here to appreciate and promote in terms of creative writing.

I’ll finish with a quote which has stayed with me.

“Their only freedom now was their view of the sky. It was the only thing that distinguished the trench from a grave.”

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley to read and review.
A sad and poignant short story about the great war. It felt like a few things were assumed and developed too quickly such as William and the Girl with the North Sea Eyes.
It felt a bit too on the nose to have Hitler in the story.
However the retiring was good and there were some fascinating passages