A uniquely Canadian look at WWI

Hopefully the title of review doesn’t put people off, as many things considered “Canadian” get passed over immediately. Living in the shadow of the US has it’s downside.

I had a hard time rating this book. I wanted to give the story 3 stars for the fact that it was predictable and without any real surprises and twists. The “surprise” in the story centres on the reason the hero signs up (to avoid jail) and the subsequent resolution of the one sided feud that resulted from the crime that lead him to the army.

Why I did give the story 4 stars was for the solid writing style and the unique topic covered. There aren’t a lot of fictional books out there covering WWI and Canada’s part in the War. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say this novel rose from a family research project the author was working on. The name of the hero is one syllable removed from the author, and much of the information on Canadian soldiers in WWI is easily researched. Enrolment and service records, as well as unit war diaries, are all available online now through Library Archive Canada. It is from this information that I believe the author shaped a novel.

In this regard, he did a good job. Lot’s of little details were included, such as equipment, as well as accurate portrayals of the class structure and societal attitudes of the period. There was one area, however, where I think the author applied current Canadian attitudes to the story, and that was fabricating the line that the only reason a white male Canadian of good societal standing would join is if he were forced to by the law. The other members of the book in the army were predominately English immigrants (this is historically accurate, as most English immigrants signed up for the “Motherland”), Métis, and other “undesirables” of the period. Of course, this reflects current Canadian attitudes as Canadians have a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that the profession of arms can be an honourable calling.

So, in summary I do recommend this novel, especially if you are Canadian and even more so if you have an interest in WWI or had ancestors involved in that conflict. This book will assist in gaining a greater understanding of that period and the impact of the War in our country, all while providing a satisfactory background story as a vehicle for this information.

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