This is the story of a surgeon who found himself on the wrong side of the lines. After helping others escape, he himself escaped the Germans. After that, he spent time in different locations and made a few attempts to cross back to the Allied side of the lines.
I was struck by the mention of a review that said, "One is becoming as bored of these escape stories as of their tellers, beamish boys galumphing their way home through a tangle of generous peasants, Fascist spies and boastful partisans." I'm not sure why anyone would say something like that. Maybe they were forced to read it and didn't appreciate that? I'm a firm believer that every life has a story. Maybe it isn't interesting to everyone, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be told.
I enjoyed this book. It dealt with the frustration and mental strain of being cooped up and wanting to get back to your own side of the war. It doesn't glorify war, in fact, in the postscript, the author calls war beastly and praises peaceful construction. The author doesn't gloss over his weaknesses or make himself out to be a hero. As he himself said, it was just ordinary people doing extraordinary things to combat evil. Good Book!
No comments:
Post a Comment