Literature

I’ve just finished Ward McBurney’s first novel & after this our exile. I don’t think I can express just how much I enjoyed this book.

I was quickly absorbed by Ward’s storytelling. His prose is lyrical; his descriptions evocative. His style of painting a vignette and then not closing it off – leaving the reader to draw his own conclusions – was captivating. It’s a common enough contrivance by writers, but rarely so well done.

And his love stories – just incredible. Sister, friend, lover … Then, the love and admiration for the colonel, and for Canon Scott – beautifully painted and told.

The development of his fictitious battalion was superb. He caught so very many elements of what held the battalions together. Their unique sense of belonging to each other; their particular form of esprit while at the same time being so proud of the whole Corps.

And, he didn’t fall into the trap of beating the drum about how “special” the Canadian Corps was by drawing comparisons to the Brits, Anzacs or Yanks. He settled for emphasizing the cohesiveness of the Corps which carried through to that final gigantic reunion.

This is the best novel of the Great War that I’ve ever read. It’s far, far above a simple “good read.” It is literature.

Gavin K. Watt
Historian & Writer