All I think, all I feel, all I know is pressed into this moment. And what I know is that I can’t let him go.
1916. Returning to the Front after injury, nineteen-year-old Stephen wonders what he’s fighting for. Then he meets Private Danny McCormick, a smart, talented new recruit. From their first meeting, there’s something undeniable between them – something forbidden by both society and the army. Determined to protect Danny, Stephen must face down the ignorance of his superiors as well as the onslaught of German shells and sniper fire. As the summer ticks down to the Battle of the Somme, will Stephen and Danny’s love save them – or condemn them?
Another revisit of World War I France
Only at the beginning of this month, I teleported myself to the French trenches in Alice Winn’s In Memoriam. This book was devastating in its amount of quick and detailed deaths. It brilliantly caught the despair and loss of hope during the years of war, but also the comradery between soldiers. This combination made me avid to return to this setting soon. On Netgalley, I had even beforehand found a book that sounded similarly shattering and hopeful. So soon after finishing Winn’s book, I started William Hussey’s audio book.
Continuously sad but also hopeful
In this book, we only follow Stephen on his journey to the trenches and his horrific experience there through a first-person perspective. He already lost his best friend and love to the war, facing the devastation once more when returning to the war side. As he meets freshman Stephen on his way there, he makes it his task to shelter him from breaking apart in a similar way to himself. He did not expect to find himself quickly more attached to the young man and thus risking not only another shattering loss but also to be exposed with his non-normative desires. At the same time, he wins company, hope, and perspective within these terrible times.
Focus on homosexuality in these times
With having read Alice Winn’s In Memoriam recently, it is easier to find defining characteristics of William Hussey’s story. It is set in a relatively short amount of time, focusing on the encounter and eventually romancing of two soldiers afraid of dying but also of being exposed. The focus is less on the cruelty and atrocities of the war itself, with comparably few details in this regard, but on bonding throughout this desperate time. Our characters interact a lot with other soldiers and form bonds of comradery, being supported and scrutinized for their potentially abnormal behavior. In the acknowledgements, the author also notes his focus on telling the unheard stories of homosexual soldiers to make people aware of their existence despite commonly known narratives. And he absolutely succeeded in this goal, telling a moving and hopeful romance in these dark times.
In conclusion
Another book set in the French trenches during the First World War and from a British perspective, this story took me in just as much as Alice Winn’s In Memoriam. It started out with loss and heartbreak and reached some new levels throughout the story, but it generally was set less during conflict and during a shorter span of time. Instead, it focused on the possibility of bonding and falling in love during this horrible time. The conflict was more in the illegality of being homosexual at this time than in the horrific war acts and potential loss of life.
The author:
William Hussey is an award-winning author of over a dozen novels. From thrillers for Young Adults to gripping whodunnits for grown-ups, he has written in almost every genre of fiction. His latest books include the highly-anticipated KILLING JERICHO (April 2023), the first in a brand new series featuring crime fiction’s first Traveller detective, and the acclaimed political thriller for teens, THE OUTRAGE. Source
The reader:
Alex [Wingfield] is based in Leeds and London. Having graduated from Durham University with First Class Honours in Music, he has completed the Musical Theatre postgraduate programme at the Royal Academy of Music, where he graduated in July 2014. While studying at the Academy, Alex was trained in Estill Technique under the expertise of leading vocal coaches, Mary Hammond and Anne-Marie Speed. Source