THE FIRST OF JULY by Elizabeth Speller

Note: I am not a paid reviewer, and I have purchased this title to read for my personal enjoyment.

A story that propels us to the inevitability of horrors, mayhem, and injustice at the Somme in WW1, where over 1 million casualties on all sides followed a massive British assault on a German position that began on July 1, 1916. The Somme is just one WW1 battle, massive in scale as it was, yet the book takes an epic sweep by following the pre-war lives of three British soldiers and one French soldier of various ranks and social status. The life circumstances of each of our four protagonists are vividly painted in the narrative, as are their skills, motivations, and even insecurities that lead them to the battlefield. The narrative captures the public mood and personal points of view that sweep young men into service. When the story moves to the Somme, physical deprivations and emotional despondencies at the front are described in stark terms. Memorable passages present fears of death, joys of a short reprieve, and the spectrum of leadership a common soldier encounters. Connections between the four protagonists as well as their relationships with minor characters deftly bind the story of the Somme. I haven’t seen much acclaim for this title and, to me, it is much underrated.