Ah, the love triangle. Source of a thousand heartaches, and dozens of love songs, it is the framework for William Nicholson’s highly enjoyable novel. The year is 1942, and Kitty, Ed and Larry are stationed in the south of England, friends whose lives and loves are shaped by the war that has brought them together. Practically on the eve of the Normandy landings, Ed and Larry fall in wonderful romantic love with Kitty. When Kitty chooses the enigmatic Ed, old-fashioned gallantry wins out and Larry resigns himself to remaining lovelorn but loyal in friendship. This is far from a sentimental tale; the harrowing effects of war are central to it, and we are drawn into the blood-chilling moments, the breathtaking spaces between life and death, that populate battles. Nicholson writes in a wonderfully evocative style that illuminates the small moments of the characters’ stories and their inner lives, showing us what makes them tick and struggle. Spanning the years from 1942 to 2012, this tale is just the ticket for filling long winter evenings.
