A review by shirleytupperfreeman
Toby's Room by Pat Barker

Apparently this is a sequel to Life Class by Pat Barker. I haven't read any of her work before but she's a Booker Prize winner and seems to be highly regarded. Toby's Room was listed as one of the best books in 2012 by The Economist magazine so I thought I'd check it out. The reader is left with no doubt about the costs and consequences of war (WWI in this case) on both those fighting and those left behind. Most of the main characters are artists - one of whom gets involved in helping real-life Henry Tonks - an artist who made detailed drawings of facial wounds to aid in reconstruction surgery. There is a web site where one can see some of the drawings done by Mr. Tonks. It's a good story and I learned a bit more about WWI but I'm not sure I'd list it as a best book of 2012.