First published 1977
French soldiers huddle in muddy trenches as World War I rages around them. The regiment has reached its breaking point after months of brutal fighting and impossible orders from commanders who remain safely behind the lines. When the men refuse to advance into certain death, military authorities brand them mutinous. The soldiers must navigate the deadly space between enemy fire ahead and their own officers behind them. Faulkner transforms this military crisis into a meditation on courage, sacrifice, and the bonds between men facing annihilation. The story moves from the concrete horror of trench warfare to larger questions about duty and human nature under extreme pressure.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: France
Period: World War I
384 pages · Paperback · Vintage
Content warnings: violence, war