THE HEROES’ WELCOME by Louisa Young

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

The second in a series (My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You and Devotion) that presents an epic tale of pain brought on by the Great War, and rebirth. From the first scene, the wedding of disfigured Riley to Nadine, a saintly figure who stands by a damaged man below her station, we are gripped by tortured emotions of characters who are grappling with war’s aftermath. Riley’s commanding officer, Peter, seemingly has everything to return to: Family wealth, a wife, a son, a business empire, but is tormented by memories of men who perished under his command. Ms. Young’s portrayal of the physical and emotional plunge of Riley and Peter is memorable, perhaps most poignantly as Riley deals with perceived on-looker reactions to his facial injuries (Riley drinks from a brass straw made from a shell casing) and considers how he should present himself to the shocked, but well-meaning, public. The seeds of Riley’s recovery are sown carefully, as he gropes to find his place in his marriage, family, and productive society. Ms. Young seems well-versed in the classics, with lines from Greek tragedies borrowed here, and a memorable metaphor from a Shakespeare sonnet nicked there. She does Homer proud with character arcs from exultation to steep descent and eventual equilibrium. Between easy authenticity established by period words and setting descriptions, and moving portraits of complex emotions, this depiction of war’s all-consuming aftermath will not soon be forgotten.