Set in New Zealand and Italy during the Second World War, this novel portrays the anxieties and dilemma of a man who is conscripted to fight in a war he doesn't believe in. Jerry Cook is a botany teacher who is opposed to conscription by a government he regards as fascist-leaning. His opposition is partly because of the memory of his father who never recovered from his service in the First World War. But when he is conscripted, Jerry realizes he is not heroic enough to refuse the call-up. Involved in mopping up exercises in ...
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Set in New Zealand and Italy during the Second World War, this novel portrays the anxieties and dilemma of a man who is conscripted to fight in a war he doesn't believe in. Jerry Cook is a botany teacher who is opposed to conscription by a government he regards as fascist-leaning. His opposition is partly because of the memory of his father who never recovered from his service in the First World War. But when he is conscripted, Jerry realizes he is not heroic enough to refuse the call-up. Involved in mopping up exercises in Italy as the Germans withdraw to the north, Jerry's political conflicts find concrete expression in how he reacts to military service. Much of the story is told in letters to his fiance, Anna, back home in Wellington. Jerry's resolution of his dilemma is as clear as it is shocking.
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