In Memoriam
~ A Capsule Book Review by Allen Kopp ~

It has been said that the “Great War” (World War I) wiped out an entire generation of young men in England. We meet a few of these (fictional) young men in the novel In Memoriam by Alice Witt.

(Sidney) Ellwood and (Henry) Gaunt are students at a boys’ boarding school in England. (The students at this school go mostly by their last names.) Gaunt, it seems, joins the army at the beginning of the war with Germany because of his same-sex feelings for Gaunt. (We have to remember that homosexuality is a crime in England at this time.) Whatever feelings Gaunt has for Elwood, they are enthusiastically reciprocated.

Soon, Ellwood also “signs up,” along with many of the other “boys” (men) from the school he and Gaunt have attended. They cannot pass up the chance to experience the excitement and exhilaration of fighting in a war. They will all soon discover, however, that war experienced first-hand is not quite the same as they envisioned. The death toll mounts, as does the list of the grievously injured.

Ellwood and Gaunt are soon together at the front, but it’s not the same as it was at school, of course. Hell, even when experienced with one’s beloved, is still hell. Ellwood is present when Gaunt is shot in the chest. Ellwood is sure Gaunt is dead, but he himself is under fire, so he can’t stay behind to see. He runs for cover, believing that Gaunt has died.

So, Ellwood is left alone, to grieve for his beloved Gaunt. However, he has other, more immediate, problems on the front lines. He sees many of his friends and acquaintances killed or horribly injured. Soon, he himself is shot in the face. He loses one eye and part of his jawbone. Will he live, or will he join his beloved Gaunt in death?

In Memoriam engaged me fully, from the first page. It is a novel with an early-twentieth century sensibility. It might have been written in the 1920s or ‘30s by E. M. Forester or Evelyn Waugh. The gay angle of the story is downplayed and very tastefully handled. Homophobes needn’t be alarmed. In Memoriam is highly recommended, especially if you are interested in the War to End All Wars, as I am.

Copyright © 2024 by Allen Kopp