A master story teller who read all the WWI letters he could to get the tone of the era correct. This book was inspired by the recent story in the UK that a village was going to put up a war memorial and there was some controversy about whether boys from the village who had been shot for cowardice should have their names added too, knowing what we know now about PTSD.

The book zig zags between telling the story of a group of boys going through basic training and to the trenches in 1916-17, and one man coming to terms with it in 1919. All the details in it come across as authentic, so if like me you listened to the tales of the olden days by your grandmother, you will learn even more from this book.

The description of the barracks on page 136 is particularly moving. Who hasn't been to an abandoned barracks or aerodrome and not felt the presence of the young men there before they were irrevocably changed by their experience of war.

This book is a must-read to anyone who gets the chance.