THE LAST SUMMER OF THE WORLD by Emily Mitchell

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

American photographer Edward Steichen risks his life gathering aerial WW1 reconnaissance photos of the German front lines in a story teeming with war grit, yet also infused with an artistic soul. In this fictionalized account of Steichen’s war years, Ms. Mitchell explores the intersection of war and art through a dual narrative of Edward’s service in 1918 and flashbacks to Edward’s backstory when he develops as an artist but finds his personal life fall into disarray. His artistic-driven inattentiveness, including a whimsical friendship with sculptor Rodin, and guilty thoughts and actions, spark wife Clara’s insecurities. Clara takes their children away from Edward, back to America, and sues their mutual friend Marion for destroying her marriage by engaging in an affair with Edward. Clara’s destruction of Edward calls to mind Atonement, as her feelings of betrayal distort her perception when she walks in on fully-clothed Edward and Marion. Personal life failures seem to have been Edward’s burden to carry to war, and I kept waiting for his war service to somehow be impacted by his failings, but the connection is never quite clear. Edward’s love of photography permeates the story, and we see from his eyes the essence of images he captures. Hard-hitting scenes of the front lines are described unusually, with the authenticity of an aerial observer, rather than by a soldier through his rifle sight.