(Fiction; Viking Press, 1991)
As we approach the centennial anniversary of World War I’s outbreak, Pat Barker’s fictional trilogy beckons. A bold narrative that incorporates the writing and biographical facts of numerous historical figures from the First World War, the series compels readers to face the physical, psychological, and political horrors of the trenches through the dual perspective of soldiers and of the doctors charged with repairing the soldiers for a return to duty. The third book, The Ghost Road, won the Booker Prize in 1995, but to fully appreciate Barker’s achievement, a reader best start at the beginning.
