This is a frankly WILD book that is NOT about WWI (misleading title) but instead about the incredibly messy dynamics between two adulterous couples. It’s “the saddest story” because no one ends up with what they want and multiple people die/lose it in the process. Basically, don’t have a serial cheating problem because it seems like it will ruin your life. 

Honestly, the book was kind of confusing to read because of how unreliable the narrator, John Dowell, is. He is SO passive in his own meandering telling of the story that it makes you think he’s either incredibly naïve and just unfortunate or a total sociopath who belongs in a Patricia Highsmith novel. Can we trust anything he tells us? Is the whole book an elaborate alibi? I think this would be a great novel to study in class or discuss with a book club — there’s so many potential theories to explore. 

Sad, but in a pathetic sort of way. The story is revealed in fits and starts, going backward and forward. Each thing we learn about the story and the relationships in it makes it all more miserable.