There was lots to admire about the book:
~ the wonderful, lyrical poetic language which captures a version of English in that Irish phrasing which often added a strange humour and lightness to the most dire descriptions. Despite the horror and the terror, there if often something optimistic in the language. The rurality of the soldiers which seems to make them more atuned to nature/countryside.
The reminder about the international/colonial armies that fought in the First War World and the commitment of those soldiers to a vision of the Empire which is long gone. Also …who knew about about the Chinese involved in digging parties before. The first gassing incident really chilling as of course we know what is going to happen but they have no idea. But throughout there is a great sense of ‘the fog of war’ where the eye-view of the soldier conveys great feeling of uncertainly and little idea of any overall picture. Many fictional accounts of the First War World often relate to the bigger picture but this sense of overview is missing in this book and the better for it. It really captures the confusion and the ambiguity of the Irish in the British army at the time of the Easter Rising & the political changes in Ireland ….the shooting of the young man in the Dublin street was particularly poignant especially when it provoked such anger in his father. Also poignant was the letter sent by his ‘friend’ to his girlfriend back home. There is the great shame of those ‘heroes’ not honoured by anyone in any country.
The references to Dostoevsky’s The Idiot interesting …..a character rather saintly, self-sacrificing and foolish.
However it seemed sadness piled on sadness and at the end it is hard to read about another bombardment. It is realistic as I am sure those survivors at the war of the war had had enough blood and guts and readers felt this way about the book as well. The language of the soldiers has an authenicity ….but again not all readers can take so much cussing and swearing.
Just to note his recent book On Canaan’s Side has been long-listed for the Man Booker.
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