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vecbeta 's review for:
In Memoriam
by Alice Winn
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I finished this book about a week ago and I'm still turning it over in my mind.
All in all, the narrative, prose, and emotional beats of this story were impeccable. The narrative approach mirrors the changes of two young men in the face of WWI, with the first few chapters feeling almost juvenile in their writing before utterly nosediving into the horrors of the trenches, pulling no punches in the process. It's a brutal whiplash, and a choice that made a ton of sense in retrospect. I was worried that the war scenes would be written with the naïvety of the public school introduction, and was relieved that wasn't the case.
Ultimately, In Memoriam's greatest strength lies within the characters and their interactions, experiences, and growth. It didn't read like an unrealistic and shallow romance, instead diving into the complicated emotions of the two leads as they navigated their connection in the face of war, trauma, and repression...a viscerally human story with viscerally human characters. The side characters were also extremely memorable, and were differentiated on more than just physical traits and tropey stock personalities.
Note re: my diversity rating - While this book emotionally centers around a gay romance, the story focuses PRIMARILY on upper class British men. There are aspects of diversity in the main cast within this mold, but very few face significant struggle for their differences, protected by the privilege their familial wealth afforded.
This is most notable with the two leads, a pair of gay men in the 1900s who were largely shielded from the harsher consequences of homophobia that were very real and understandable threats at the time.
While this WAS addressed in the narrative, the two leads remained incredibly lucky in avoiding any serious homophobia -- never outed, judged, or endangered by any of their peers who were in the know. It felt a bit like a wishful thinking fantasy scenario come to life for them, and thus felt a bit off with me as a queer person with understanding of the time period in a queer historical context.
All in all, the narrative, prose, and emotional beats of this story were impeccable. The narrative approach mirrors the changes of two young men in the face of WWI, with the first few chapters feeling almost juvenile in their writing before utterly nosediving into the horrors of the trenches, pulling no punches in the process. It's a brutal whiplash, and a choice that made a ton of sense in retrospect. I was worried that the war scenes would be written with the naïvety of the public school introduction, and was relieved that wasn't the case.
Ultimately, In Memoriam's greatest strength lies within the characters and their interactions, experiences, and growth. It didn't read like an unrealistic and shallow romance, instead diving into the complicated emotions of the two leads as they navigated their connection in the face of war, trauma, and repression...a viscerally human story with viscerally human characters. The side characters were also extremely memorable, and were differentiated on more than just physical traits and tropey stock personalities.
Note re: my diversity rating - While this book emotionally centers around a gay romance, the story focuses PRIMARILY on upper class British men. There are aspects of diversity in the main cast within this mold, but very few face significant struggle for their differences, protected by the privilege their familial wealth afforded.
This is most notable with the two leads, a pair of gay men in the 1900s who were largely shielded from the harsher consequences of homophobia that were very real and understandable threats at the time.
While this WAS addressed in the narrative, the two leads remained incredibly lucky in avoiding any serious homophobia -- never outed, judged, or endangered by any of their peers who were in the know. It felt a bit like a wishful thinking fantasy scenario come to life for them, and thus felt a bit off with me as a queer person with understanding of the time period in a queer historical context.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Classism