All this mud and water was contaminated. Dung and debris and decaying bodies lay beneath its surface. When the rivers and canals could no longer be contained — over they spilled into clyttes already awash with rain.
Houses, trees and fields of flax once flourished here. Summers had been blue with flowers. Now it was a shallow sea of stinking grey from end to end. And this is where you fought the war.
(from The Wars, page 78 in the old hardcover edition I read, whose cover I couldn’t find online)
The Wars is a 1977 novel of the Great War by Timothy Findley that follows Robert Ross, a Canadian who enlists as an officer in 1915 after the death of his disabled sister. The novel opens toward the end of Robert’s story. The world is on fire, and Robert is leading hundreds of horses away from the front. Readers soon learn that Robert has possibly gone mad, and Findley brings them back to the beginning to piece together the events that led to that moment.
The Wars has an odd structure. Robert and his family are introduced and his wartime activities are uncovered partly through photos and interview transcripts as an unnamed writer or historian (called “you” in the narrative) researches his life. The rest of his story is told through a choppy, disjointed, non-linear narrative. Findley basically writes a series of scenes chronicling the major events that defined Robert’s life and paved the way for him becoming a tragic hero — from his relationship with his sister, Rowena, to his experience with the horses on the troop ship to England to a chlorine gas attack while he and his men are trapped in a crater.
Findley introduces readers to an assortment of characters, including Robert’s alcoholic mother; Harris, a fellow soldier with whom a friendship leans toward love; Barbara, a young aristocrat who trades in her soldier boyfriends as soon as they are injured; and Juliet, a 12-year-old girl who falls in love with Robert during a stay at her family home. However, except for Robert, the characters are mostly flat, the sparse narrative making it difficult for readers to really get to know them.
The Wars is an interesting war story, focusing on a single soldier amidst the chaos during which thousands upon thousands perished. The novel shines in its descriptions of life in the trenches, futile missions that have no chance of success, and one man’s desire to do what he feels is right…no matter the cost. Despite a structure that was difficult to get used to, Findley succeeds in showing the insanity inherent in war and how it can transform men into murderers. Life goes on while the men are fighting on the front, underscored by Robert’s mother’s disintegration upon the death of her daughter and her son going off to war.
I finished the book not really knowing what to make of it, but in the days since I turned the last page, I find myself contemplating it and liking it more. Findley made me want to know what happened with the horses from the very beginning, and as piece after piece of Robert’s story fell into place, the more I could understand his transformation. It definitely isn’t the best World War I novel I’ve read, but it’s certainly worth giving a try.
I read The Wars for the Literature and War Readalong on Beauty is a Sleeping Cat. You can join the discussion here.
Disclosure: I borrowed The Wars from the public library.
© 2013 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts. For me it is, one of the best anti-war books but it’s not really about WWI, is it? I mean the historical aspects are totally in the background. I loved it but I can see how it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
I found it very emotional, the way he wrote about animals.
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Well, there are some parts where the war is front and center, but I see what you mean.
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Sounds like this one was a tough read, but interesting. I don’t think this one is for me.
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I liked it more after I sat on it awhile. It wasn’t a book that I loved or liked right off the bat. It’s a worthwhile read, though.
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It’s great when you think about a book after you’ve finished it and decide that you like it a bit more than you previously did. Sometimes, ideas and events in book need a bit of time to “marinate” in our minds, especially if we’re fast readers. Thanks for your honest and well-written review, Anna.
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Thanks, Suko! That’s very true.
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I like the idea of photos and transcripts but I’m not so sure about the second person narrative. I’m glad this worked for you!
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It would have been better if photos had been included, rather than just description of the photos. I know it was fictional, but it could’ve been made to look more like the research being done.
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This seems like the kind of book that is truly appreciated more after its read as the mind contemplates the story.
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Yes, definitely.
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Hi Anna,
I am doing horrible on the American Revolution challenge. I haven’t read a single book. I was wondering if you are doing a readalong this summer so I can at least read one book about it. This one is harder than I thought it would be. I have been so bad about checking in and this Spring has been horrible in Minnesota. OK, talk to you soon.
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I’m so sorry that I’m so far behind in responding to comments. At this time, we haven’t discussed a readalong, but I will talk it over with Serena.
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I am a huge fan of literature written about the First World War and this is undoubtedly one of the best. Love to see people reading and reviewing it. Thanks!
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I’ve only read a handful of WWI books at this point. I’m not sure I’d considered this one of the best…yet. But it is a book that hits you long after you finish reading it.
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I agree that the horses were a draw for me, right from the start: I definitely felt an investment in their fates, as much as I did in the early pages with Robert himself. This wasn’t a new read for me, but I can imagine that it would be the sort of book that might grow on you afterwards; I remember being tremendously impressed as I read along for the first time, but it wasn’t until I was finished that I knew that I loved the book (the way that everything starts to make sense as we assemble something-like-the-truth at the end).
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I can’t say I loved the book but I went from thinking I hated it to appreciating it to actually liking it. It really was a roller coaster!
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I’m glad that you were able to take something from this one and that it managed to make you think about it days later!!!
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I was pleasantly surprised by my reaction in the days between finishing the book and writing up my review.
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You needed a warning at the beginning to not read the quote from the book if you were eating lunch 😦 Lesson learned.
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I’m sorry!
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