Took me a long long time but got there in the end. This is an excellent portrayal of the Great War. The language is quite intense and graphic in places but Barry delivers an incredible insight into the conditions endured by thousands of young men in the trenches of First World War Flanders.
Willie Dunne is an Irishman fighting for King George of England (many nationalists believed he should be at home fighting for his own country's liberation) this makes him a traitor to his countrymen and a dissenting would-be deserter in the eyes of the English army. We meet the young Willie before he joins the Dublin Fusiliers and track his progress from trainee to war exhausted soldier. His tragic relationship with his father; the bonds he forms with fellow comrades; his rapport with regiment captains and his love for Gretta and young sisters reaffirm the innocence, the normalcy, the humanity of this young character, haplessly embroiled in a conflict of such inhumanity.
The graphic detailing of the massacres, the filthy conditions, the mud, blood obscenity and violence makes for testing reading but reality can be demanding. I'm not a fan of war literature so this doesn't get 5 stars from me, but the writing is faultless, a pleasure to read. Recommended.