Life in the trenches of World War I

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This book, first published in 1993, is a very moving tale of a young man whose life is devastated as a result of his participation as a soldier in the trenches of the First World War.

The story begins before the war in middle class France where the young man embarks upon a consuming and passionate affair with a married woman.

The story tells first of the destruction and devastation caused by his affair, both to himself and those around him, and moves on to tell of the futile destruction and devastation of the war.

Birdsong describes vividly the horrors of life and death in the trenches; of the relentless, intolerable slog and of the physical and psychological suffering of the men, day in and day out. So real are Faulks’ descriptions that it made me cry to read them.

Just before I read this book I discovered by chance in my local library, a book of local heroes; men from the area who had fought and lost their lives in the First World War. In this book I found an entry for my paternal great grandfather and some details of the battle in which he fought and died, just two months before Armistice Day.

As I read Birdsong, the story of the young man in the trenches became the story of my grandfather… We should all read this book; it is after all the story of all our grandfathers and the sacrifices they made for all our sakes.

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, £7.99, Vintage. (Though you can now get it cheaper on sites such as amazon.co.uk!)

Tags: RC Book Club