It's been interesting reading a variety of books set against the backdrop of WWI. Each has been written from a slightly different perspective describing some aspect of the war and its effects on either the soldiers or their families as well as society in general. The Winter of the World by Carol Ann Lee, an exploration of love during wartime, is the most contemporary of the group of books and was published in 2007. Curiously this is the first book that concerns itself with passionate love, in this case a love triangle. What would a love story be without betrayal and grief, though this is also ultimately a story about the search for redemption as well.
Do you believe in love at first sight? When Alex Dyer first sees Clare, his best friend's fiancé, he loses his heart to her ethereal beauty. He likens it to a combination of fear and exhilaration multiplied to infinity. Alex and Ted Eden couldn't be more different yet became the closest of friends at school, an ordeal to be endured. As adults they are separated by work but maintain a close relationship, which makes Alex's feelings toward Clare all the more painful and confusing. But nothing stops the two from embarking on an affair even after Ted and Clare marry. Ted jokes that between the three they have the makings of a Greek tragedy--Alex's father is dying, Ted is an orphan and Clare doesn't get on with her mother and stepfather. In retrospect the story is filled with foreshadowing, and a Greek tragedy is a description not far off from reality.
England is on the verge of war and each of the three will be touched by it and changed through their very different yet harrowing experiences. Always dreaming of becoming a writer, Alex becomes a noted war correspondent. Ted is an officer in the army and Clare a respected nurse. Although their encounters are brief and intense, Alex and Clare spend much of the war apart. And though each loves Ted and realizes the damage they are doing, they can't stop. Alex and Clare don't exactly thrive during the war but they manage to keep afloat, but Ted has always been honorable and filled with idealism and so feels the burdens of what he sees very heavily. The closer he comes to breaking, the more Clare wishes to protect him and calls off the affair. Misguidedly Alex believes he and Clare should confess their sins. So wrapped up is he in his own guilt he doesn't understand just how fragile his friend is. And of course his actions will have repercussions on all three leaving Alex to try and think of some way to make amends.
The story is bookended by the return to England in 1920 of the body of an unknown soldier who is meant to stand for all the men killed in the war and buried so far from home. The public still mourns for those lost, and the government's decision to bring home one soldier is hoped to help bring closure for so many who still grieve. The opening chapter describing the return of this one man and all the people who wait in the train stations along the way to show their respect is actually quite moving. It's obvious Lee very thoroughly researched this story, and its strengths lie in the historical aspects and descriptions of the war, as well as the way in which she tells her story. She doesn't tell it in an exact linear fashion, yet it still felt tightly controlled despite moving around in time.
I asked whether you believe in love at first sight, and for me the story hinges on this question. I can't decide whether I am simply a cynic or if the situation wasn't entirely convincing. At the best of times people act badly but in times of war when the world feels like it is ending an affair such as that between Alex and Clare is probably not so unlikely, particularly for those so close to the insanity of a war zone. I didn't really feel their passion, though I'm told they felt it. If their behavior seemed at times contradictory, who am I to judge (it seems like human nature to be so--contradictory that is, and well, maybe even judgemental, too). Alex and Clare are obviously flawed but they aren't always especially likable either, which is where my problems with the story seem to arise. They both have voices in this story whereas Ted does not. He is seen only through his friend and wife's eyes, which left me wonder just how he felt about it all.
So this read was a mixed bag for me, and I'm not sure how much is what I'm bringing to the story and how much is a failing of the story itself. Although there were aspects of the novel that didn't quite work for me, I did like how she brought the story full circle though getting there was sometimes something of a stretch (but it's a story so I'm willing to stretch just a little bit). Without giving anything away and spoiling the plot for you, Lee had an outcome in mind and built the fictional love story around it. The war story was well done and the love story a little less so, but it was an interesting read. Do check out Caroline's post and the discussion that follows in the comments area. May's book is Shusaku Endo's The Sea and Poison, so onwards to WWII.