I was lent this book by a friend who clearly knows me well... I think I’m well informed about the first world war & over the years I’ve been particularly captivated by personal accounts of the experiences of service personnel described in the best histories from the likes of Martin Middlebrook & Lyn Macdonald.

I know that a lot of the the soldiers at the front joined up because they were spoiling for a fight & conditions in the trenches were actually better than in the slums at home; the danger of death & injury was a risk worth taking with no worse consequences than those faced if they’d not gone at all; I know that injustices were done at all levels & as a mental health professional I feel strongly that we should have been so much more compassionate than we were in caring for people affected physically & psychologically by their traumatic experiences & wounds.

I thought I knew what was coming, reinforced by how this novel echoes that personal style with its sympathetic account of a soldier’s early life, yes, with its love & compassion, injustice & abuses of power but its humanity & hope & heartache as well. But it surprised me with what happened in several ways; the final outcome was only revealed in the last few pages & I simply didn’t see it coming; the impact made me proper cry instantly & seriously made me think; earlier the petty vindictiveness of the local colonel landowner & the mysteries of the family’s life experiences & allegiances confused & surprised me despite my supposed well-read authority on these subjects.

It was challenging too; could I ever hope to behave in the most selfless ways portrayed here? Who would I be in this story? Would I be loyal or betray the trust of my friends? Would I boldly lead from the front or cower in the corner? Would I really avoid the pitfalls that tripped up the characters or succumb as easily as they did to temptations & distractions?

It reads like the central character is going to be shot at dawn for desertion or cowardice & it’s a shock when we realise the truth... brutality & injustice & the misuse of power & betrayal & exploitation & sickening poor timing & bad luck seep through this book like the mud seeps into the soldiers boots in the trenches but love & loyalty & honesty & laughter & care & protection & forgiveness lift us into the sky above the bitter, selfish cruelty to fly high with the larks in hope of a better life in light & hope...

This is serious, multi-layered, well-composed literature in a few short pages which would benefit anyone who picks it up; I read it in a day & its influence will last much longer. I’ll return it to my friend with gratitude for opening my eyes to a new perspective on a subject I thought I’d already long since mastered. I’ll eagerly search out more from Michael Morpurgo too!