Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - In Memoriam

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In Memoriam by Alice Winn

187 reviews

jbbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Graphic and tragic account of WW1 and the damage it inflicted on a generation of young men, centred on two 18 year old public school boys discovering their mutual love for each other and exploring its chimneys and changes across those war years. Written with almost nonchalant clinical accuracy of the horrors of the trenches, an incredibly effective style. Devastatingly good.

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mmwiseheart's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I read this book for book group and was forwarded that it was a bit graphic with the description of war. Even with that warning, I still wasn’t fully prepared for it. I wanted to finish it for book group so I stuck with it, it it was really difficult for me. I also wasn’t really rooting for the main characters, so there wasn’t anything for me to look forward to exactly. I did start to root for Gaunt’s sister, Maud, as she pursued a job and academia. I also rooted for Hayes and hoped he’d get the promotion he wanted.

The book is split into three parts and the first part was slow-paced, which probably didn’t help me very much. Once I got to the second part, the pacing picked up and I was able to read faster. This is probably a very good book for people who like military history. That has never been a subject that I enjoyed. Even though I didn’t particularly enjoy reading it, I did learn some things and it did give me some food for thought. I often struggle to express my thoughts and feelings. Ellwood uses poetry to express his. I take notes as I read and one of the quotes I wrote down is “You are the poetry.”

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jenniferyellowhat's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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hmatt's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Starting off 2025 strong with this incredibly powerful read. I won't say I "enjoyed" it as such, because... war novel... graphic, gore-y violence and PTSD, but if you are alright to read on these themes I strongly recommend.

The characters' perspectives and emotions are conveyed in that just-right balance where they are (probably?) historically accurate - some level of repressed, some level of entitled public school boy, etc. Even though the narrative focuses on two privileged men, I thought the author did an alright job of incorporating other diverse voices into the story. The incredible class privilege of the two MCs is definitely consistently acknowledged.

I could "leave" some of the quotations from ancient epics and old poets I haven't read, but I don't feel alienated by their inclusion. In the context of the MCs and their upbringings and personalities, they make sense.

Format note: I really enjoyed this audiobook. The production is exceptionally well thought-through and the narrator does the different character voices impeccably.

I feel that the author did an excellent job acknowledging the not-happy parts of the "happy" ending, e.g. all of Ellwood's friends died, they ended up "in exile" of a sort, PTSD doesn't just disappear, etc.

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xeroxi's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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jkpotteryu's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I cannot fathom how Alice Winn wrote this book as her debut novel. “In Memoriam” is brutal and blunt, yet also hopelessly intimate. It is less, I believe, a story about finding love, and more a story about existing love and how it changes and shifts under the influence of war and separation. The story does not wish to speak about WHY people love, but wishes to acknowledge the fact that people love and that fact will stay unchanging for the rest of time. We do not get REASONS for why Gaunt and Ellwood love each other as much as we are presented with the fact that they, simply, are in love.

I found the use of newspaper clippings and poetry masterful. It makes your heart clench when a person you’ve just read a graphic description of inhumane death of appears as simply a last name and initials on the weekly news.

The use of poetry, I felt, added a somewhat dream-like experience to the book while being interrupted by the brute horror of World War 1.

This book is not light. It is heavy, and dark, and horrific at times, and I would tread carefully recommending it to others, but I truly believe Alice Winn has written one of the greatest novels of the decade. It is honest, and brutal, and tragic, but ultimately it is hopeful.

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