Gaunt and Ellwood, resilient in the face of adversity, sit at their English boarding school, pining for each other and contemplating the World War. They enlist separately, their hearts heavy with their forbidden, unspoken feelings. Homosexuality exists in various forms,
…more some healthy some not. In this era, societal constraints, such as the criminalization of homosexuality and the pressure to conform to traditional gender roles, left them with few other options. People silently envisioned their lives of bachelorhood, a testament to their resilience when societal constraints left them with few alternatives.
The tales of romance and war seem like two different novels. The horrors of battle are a lot to read. The mechanics of homosexual sex, which Winn describes in more graphic detail than in most novels, are not just for shock value. They serve to humanize Gaunt and Ellwood's relationship, showing that their love is as natural and complex as any other. Gaunt and Ellwood's emotional relationship is intricate, and few authors bother to create it entirely.
If there's one critique, the author could have delved deeper into the individual development of the two protagonists. We know them as a unit, but their quirks remain a mystery without detracting from the intensity of the battle scenes. The novel takes an unexpected turn with an apparent early tragedy, sparking anticipation and concern for the aftermath's shape, domestically and abroad.
The narrative is full of necessary twists and turns and picks up at the beginning of the final third. The separation of the two men is a pivotal moment, and the use of a dual timeline and dramatic irony works effectively to underscore the emotional weight of this event. You see examples of brotherhood in the face of strife and fear.
The ending is sad as can be but somehow uplifting simultaneously. (less)
Power Reviewer
