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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
WWI trench violence and combat
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Some
Adult romantic content between two men; handled with restraint
Substance Use
Barely any
Some period drinking in the wartime setting
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Profound psychological themes of guilt, grief, and the cost of loving someone in wartime
What this book is about
Tristan Sadler travels to Norwich in 1919 to deliver letters to the sister of his wartime friend Will Bancroft — a conscientious objector who was shot for cowardice. What happened between Tristan and Will in the trenches is revealed through alternating timelines of past and present. Boyne's slim WWI novel is about love, courage, and the particular loneliness of secrets that can never be spoken.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
WWI combat violence
Execution of a conscientious objector
Gay romance in a period of illegality
Reader Verification
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