Peace by Richard Bausch

In his novel Peace Richard Bausch explores the nature of violence in an already violent setting.  The choice of title is an interesting and fleeting one since this is a story that takes place during the latter part of World War II in northern Italy.  The story revolves around three American soldiers who must decide where their moral compass lies, at what point does killing become murder and how does one live with these acts of violence.  They are faced with the dilemma of doing their duty yet feeling culpability for their actions.

Is it a particular act of brutality when the commanding officer of a unit of soldiers shoots and kills the woman a German soldier had been hiding with?  The German soldier had taken the men by surprise and killed two, before paying with his own life when they returned fire.  The woman, a prostitute and probably German, too, in anger and repulsion fights to get free throwing curses at the men.  So the Sergeant aims and fires.  And the image of the dead German soldier and especially the woman follow the men through the remainder of the story.  Perhaps haunt is a better word to use.

Corporal Marson is ordered to take two soldiers, Asch and Joyner, on a recon mission.  Marson is slightly older with a wife and baby daughter he has never seen back home.  Asch, Jewish, is constantly at odds with Joyner whose belligerent and racist attitude is like sandpaper that grates on the men.  An already dismal day filled with endless cold rain turns even darker when the hill they begin to climb stretches out into a mountain.  The frigid cold becomes bitter when wind and snow arrive.  They are guided by an elderly Italian man whose loyalty they soon begin to question when they encounter German soldiers and then a sniper.  It seems as though the war and maybe even world itself begins to press in on the men and conspires against them as they trudge ever upwards.

For a war novel this felt like a surprisingly quiet sort of story, aside from the profanity-laced dialogue whipped out rapid-fire and increasingly intense as emotions and ire were raised.  There are no battlefield scenes, not much blood, though a fair amount of suspense in its own way.  It's the sort of story, however, you begin peeling back with each new development bringing to light what's inside.  Each conversation and thought shedding a little more light on the inconsistencies Bausch raises in the face of war and its futility.

"Like I said, you might've noticed that two of us got it when she fell out of that cart."

"She didn't do the shooting.  For all we know she was a refugee, a victim."

"She was a Nazi man.  They don't like Jews.  That's your people, isn't it?"

******

"Otherwise, we're no different than they are."

Perhaps that's the crux of the story.  Knowing where to draw the line between necessity and humanity.

"The waiting was changing him, emptying him, draining all the human elements, as if the spirit were bleeding."

As the men file up the hill and the day darkens to night their thoughts, though it's primarily Corporal Marson whose story this is, are filled with images of home and of their first days on Sardinia before the war became real and the invasion of the mainland began (but by then the Italians had capitulated and the Germans began their retreat).  But the cold and the pain and especially the fear numb the men.  Fear of what they'll find on the other side when they get over the top and fear of death, fear of whoever it is that has them in their crosshair.  The choices they must make in order to survive bring to sharp relief the questions they ask after the murder of the woman.  The peace of the title, when it finally comes, is a tenuous condition.  During war it's fleeting at best.

I'd never read Bausch before this, hadn't even thought of reading him as a matter of fact, but I'm glad I did.  He's published almost as many short story collections as novels, and this spare and slender story feels almost novella-like--a short story expanded.  He seems to come at the subject of war from a different perspective than other writers I've read for the readalong (or maybe it's just his approach that feels different).  It's not an epic story, even quite narrow in its view, but for all that the issues he raises are very good ones.  He deals in shades of grey, however.  This is a story that asks far more questions than offers answers.  There are few resolutions at the end, but Marson feels more grounded and even a little closer to home at least momentarily.

You can read Caroline's take on the story here.  October's book is The Violin of Auschwitz by Maria Angels Anglada who is a Catalan author.   

Comments

[Harriet]

This sounds like an amazing novel -- I don't know if I could bring myself to read it but I'm glad to have read your excellent review -- thanks.

[Cipriano]

Such a great review, Danielle. This sounds like a book I would definitely read -- I read Bausch's Hello To The Cannibals and really liked it.
The war aspect of this one, and the tone of it you describe reminds me a bit of another author that I really love -- Tim O'Brien.
And hey -- seeing your sidebar there, I look forward to what you will have to say about The Way The Crow Flies, which was a book that just completely enthralled me. One of my faves of all time. Just such a terrific twist to it, in the end.
Cheers!

[Caroline]

Well unfortunately this didn't work for me at all.
It's very well written and there are beautiful passages.
I could feel Marson's stress about shooting someone up close but the shock about the killing of the prostitute seemd out of proportion.
I'm still not sure what he meant with the title. Was Marson at peace in the end?
One thing however is for sure, I'll read other books by him soon as I'm sure when he is on more familiar territory he will be excellent.
Thanks a lot for joining.

[Danielle]

I've been reading a lot of war novels and do get a little apprehensive starting a new one as they can be difficult going sometimes, but other than a few scenes it wasn't really too bad and not especially graphic. I do think I'd like to try some of his short stories eventually--I like his writing style very much--perhaps that would be the way to go with his work.

[Danielle]

I had not thought of reading him before, but now I will look for more of his work. This did bring to mind Tim O'Brien as a matter of fact--The Things They Carried is one of the best books I've read in a long time. And I am loving The Way the Crow Flies--once I get going in it, I don't want to put it down. She grabs you and the reading becomes pretty addictive. I have a few ideas of what's going to happen, but I'm still not sure... Now you have me more curious than ever!

[Danielle]

I've only skimmed your post (will be catching up tomorrow on proper blog reading), so I knew this one didn't quite click. I wasn't sure when I started it what I thought, but the more I read the more I liked it. To me it almost felt as though Asch was more bothered by the prostitute being shot--I think it all sort of wore on Marson and the more the other two bantered about it-the more he thought of his duty that his father was so proud of him doing--and expecting him to do--I think he just started questioning things. I'm not sure that Marson was really at peace at the end--I think for that one moment when he let the man go he was--he was able to bring back into clear focus his home and family and at least for that moment he felt a bit of peace and then just simply went on. I think part of the reason I liked it so much was just thinking about it all as I was reading--I like books that aren't always so straightforward. It looks as though he has written quite a lot, so perhaps there will be another book (I'd like to read some of his short stories now) that will work better. I picked up the next book at the library today, but it looks like it is pretty short so I will hold on to it until later in October to start. I was wondering if you had thought of choosing any books with more contemporary conflicts--about Afghanistan or Iraq? I don't tend to pick up books about them as it is all too fresh since it is happening now, but I think your readalong might be the one way I would pick up a book like that.

[Caroline]

I have chosen one on Algeria and on an African conflict but I wouldn't know of a recent Afghanistan or Iraq novel, at least not a short one. I really want to stay under 250 pages. If you have suggestion, it would be great.

[Caroline]

I lamost forgot. Victoria (creativeshadows) who read along compared "Peace" with Basuch's short story "Something is Out There". It sounds like an excellent story and the similarities, although, it has nothing to do with WWII are uncanny.

[Danielle]

I've not read anything about either Afghanistan or Iraq yet. It is wise to keep the books fairly short, too, as I think more people are apt to read along if they can squeeze the books in with their other reading. I was reading this post on the Amazon book blog, which is what made me think about it.

http://www.omnivoracious.com/2012/09/the-war-seemed-as-far-away-as-the-football-games-of-someone-elses-collegea-farewell-to-arms-this-july-scribner.html

Like some of the commenters noted--maybe it is just too soon to find really good books about either war. The library where I work has a special Afghanistan collection and we do a lot of ordering in of materials pertaining to Afghanistan all through history, but many of the books we get now are about the recent conflicts there so I have seen many novels come through, but am not sure which are the really good ones. I might have to look around just for my own curiosity sake. I'll let you know if I come across anything interesting.

[Danielle]

I'll look got that story--not sure how many books my library has by Bausch--I had to find Peace at the public library, but it might be worth finding and buying that particular collection-I get the feeling he is an especially good short story writer.

[Liz F]

I have a copy of Peace to pick up from the library so I will look forward to reading it.
I am always interested to read books set in Italy during WW2 as, in Britain at least, there seems to be more emphasis on the war in France both in fiction and non-fiction and a British soldier who had served in Italy said that he felt that his was the forgotten war.

[litlove]

What an excellent review. I read Richard Bausch's Thanksgiving Night a while ago and very much appreciated his prose. I'm not a big war novel reader, but you remind me that I would very much like to read more of his work.

[Stefanie]

What an interesting sounding book. Like Litlove I am not a big war novel reader, but such novels seems to allow for an exploration of morals and values that are sometimes hard to come buy in other kindds novels.

[Kathy]

Very interesting review, Danielle. Though I probably won't pick up this book, I often hunt up books you talk about and I've gotten some terrific recommendations of books I might never have heard of otherwise. I want to thank you for that--you've helped broaden my reading habits and tastes!

[Danielle]

It is a quick read--you can almost do it in one or two sittings! I love books with Italian settings, too, though I have not read as widely as you have. And I think I also read somewhere that the Italian front of the war seems to have been forgotten--I think too much else was going on that was so big that it just never got quite the same attention. I still want to read more about Italy during WWII.

[Danielle]

This was not too hard going--no battlefield scenes or anything like that, but I do know how hard it can be to pick up war novels. I was happy this was not as graphic as other books I've read. I do want to read some of his other work as well and will have to check out Thanksgiving Night now.

[Danielle]

He did that very well in this book--thankfully it wasn't too emotionally draining-if you know what I mean, but he did an excellent job of getting beneath the surface of what they were thinking and feeling. So emotional in a different way I guess.

[Danielle]

I am always happy to oblige! :) I also love hearing about new to me books--even if I might not ordinarily pick them up to read. You never know when you might come across something else by him that appeals.