Out of all though, I think the most surprising thing about this book is that it was written by a female. This Conny is a Dutch Lady of Letters, and clearly shows more of her work could be brought to the English language market. In this translation at least it seems a particularly masculine novel, in style, content and detail. Yet it also allows a very general interest, in the way of historical sagas. Oddly she seems to drop at the midway point any reference to the season or weather, and when she provides such an immersive, saga-type style, that becomes noticeable in its absence.
Proof then that while there is room for improvement, the novelty of this circumstance, the characters and the strong form of the author make this a book to definitely consider. I wish it a large audience, and thank the publishers for my review copy.
The non-fiction to turn to for the years immediately post-war, which this novel covers, is [[The Great Silence: 1918-1920 Living in the Shadow of the Great War by Juliet Nicolson]].