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A review by karinlib
War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans
3.0
War and Turpentine was long listed for the Man Booker international Prize in 2017. It was also a book considered by an ambassador to read before traveling to Belgium. I gave this 3 stars because I found the last part of the book to be confusing, and not as well written as the first two parts.
This is a work of historical fiction, so there is some debate as to how much is fiction, and how much is memoir. From what I know of historical fiction, an author will do a great deal of research on the topic chosen.
A grandson has been given his grandfather's diary in two notebooks, but doesn't read them for 30 years. The grandfather is a veteran of WWI, and his diary describes his experience growing up in Ghent as a poor artist's son. He himself longs to be a painter, but he ends up being called up for the Belgian army during WWI. He is sent to Flanders, and the battle there are told in great detail. In my opinion this is the best part of the book.
This is a work of historical fiction, so there is some debate as to how much is fiction, and how much is memoir. From what I know of historical fiction, an author will do a great deal of research on the topic chosen.
A grandson has been given his grandfather's diary in two notebooks, but doesn't read them for 30 years. The grandfather is a veteran of WWI, and his diary describes his experience growing up in Ghent as a poor artist's son. He himself longs to be a painter, but he ends up being called up for the Belgian army during WWI. He is sent to Flanders, and the battle there are told in great detail. In my opinion this is the best part of the book.