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A review by endemictoearth
No Man's Land by Sally Malcolm
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tri4.5 stars, rounded up - Some books are five stars outright, stem to stern perfect with no notes. And other books have five star moments within them that make you stop and reread. This book falls in the second category for me. I have a LOT of highlights throughout these pages. Yes, Josef is a frustrating character, but purposefully so. He holds his convictions with an iron grip, even when it would behoove him to reconsider a few things. While I did find myself muttering at my book occasionally, chiding him for being so obstinate, I still had to admire that tenacity: both in the character and in the author for making him stick to his guns and be a bit exasperating.
I think the limited third person POV from Josef's perspective is both the easiest way to the tell the story, and the one that makes the most sense. He's a conchie (conscientious objector) who volunteers to work the ambulance service at the front. Sure, he's not holding a gun, but he's seeing all the horrors of war, especially of death and disfigurement. He's very pragmatic and cannot believe that there could be a supernatural aspect to some of the horrors, not when he knows how evil men and governments can be. He's willing to see the world burn and be reborn "He was sick of this world, run by and for monied men who valued continuity over progress." (I don't know, feels a little . . . RELEVANT, I guess?)
But at the same time, he's drawn to Alex, the enigmaticofficer soldier agent whatever-he-is, who he had an unforgettable night with back in Belgium and who he keeps running into and being saved by.
There's a bit of a lull in the middle, but the action really picks up in the final third of the book, and I love thatlibraries and women are integral to solving the mystery and saving the world.
And while Alex's injuries are paranormally inflicted, the parallels to all the walking wounded who returned from war are palpable. Sometimes people need a ghost story to distance themselves from the evil of men; sometimes they need a veil to watch war through, in order to deal with it at all. I think this book is showing us that by giving us some from column A and some from column B - the horrors of war and the horrors we invent to deal with reality. And the moments of solace that can be found in connections with others.
I think the limited third person POV from Josef's perspective is both the easiest way to the tell the story, and the one that makes the most sense. He's a conchie (conscientious objector) who volunteers to work the ambulance service at the front. Sure, he's not holding a gun, but he's seeing all the horrors of war, especially of death and disfigurement. He's very pragmatic and cannot believe that there could be a supernatural aspect to some of the horrors, not when he knows how evil men and governments can be. He's willing to see the world burn and be reborn "He was sick of this world, run by and for monied men who valued continuity over progress." (I don't know, feels a little . . . RELEVANT, I guess?)
But at the same time, he's drawn to Alex, the enigmatic
There's a bit of a lull in the middle, but the action really picks up in the final third of the book, and I love that
And while Alex's injuries are paranormally inflicted, the parallels to all the walking wounded who returned from war are palpable. Sometimes people need a ghost story to distance themselves from the evil of men; sometimes they need a veil to watch war through, in order to deal with it at all. I think this book is showing us that by giving us some from column A and some from column B - the horrors of war and the horrors we invent to deal with reality. And the moments of solace that can be found in connections with others.