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elspa's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An interesting and moving book exploring some challenging themes.
While some may dislike the exploration of a British soldier’s experience of the Troubles, it isn’t a topic that has been explored in depth in fiction. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded through the letters to his daughter and the stream of consciousness style as he comes to terms with himself. I read this on audiobook which suited the style of the book and meant you could ‘hear’ Stephen’s voice
Of particular interest was the Quakerism of the main character, a faith group well known for their adherence to pacifism. While I don’t feel his decision to turn away from this and join the army was fully explored in a theological sense, there was an interesting exploration of his relationship with his father and teenage listlessness.
His faith and Quaker community anchoring him and semi-supporting him in later years felt very realistic to me. The scenes where he struggled to settle into the silence of a meeting for worship as thoughts and images from his time in Northern Ireland rose to the surface echoed experiences I have heard from others.
The story itself has stayed with me, with its exploration of themes of guilt, trauma, loneliness, addiction and the role and purpose of historical inquiries.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and War