A review by desaevio95
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

5.0

A profoundly moving masterpiece of violence and existentialism. Remarque’s writing is some of the best I’ve ever encountered, the scenes of humanity contrasted with sudden onsets of war capture the paradoxical lifestyles of the soldiers quite well. Everything can change in seconds. And yet, they continually strive to maintain their humanity, even as the protagonist questions whether that humanity is genuine or another fabrication of wartime self-delusion. The notion of national loyalty is quickly dispelled with, so what then drives these men? So much complexity in so few pages, and yet it is completely accessible as an outflow of raw human emotion. The soldiers all feel vibrantly real, even as the war continues to break them.

Highly recommended: this is about as perfect as a novel can get.