The Winter of the World

August 27, 2007
A British biographer of Anne Frank (Rose of the Earth
), Lee opens her fiction debut with an enormous 1920 London funeral procession for the remains of an unknown soldier. The narrative then jumps back a few months as Alex Dyer, a journalist in his early 30s, tells his story to an albino grave digger in devastated post-WWI Ypres, Belgium. At the outbreak of war in 1914, British correspondent Alex ships off to France. Ted Eden, Alex's boyhood friend and now an army officer, writes to Alex that he's married Clare, a young British nurse, after a whirlwind courtship. Upon their introduction, Alex instantly falls in love with the ethereal but troubled Clare. As the two come together, the horrors of war, including the inhumane gas attacks and brutal frontal assaults told in stark detail, rumble in the background. By turns passionate and intricate, Harper's first historical novel exhibits top-notch writing and a trio of solid characters.

October 1, 2007
A London-bound funeral train passing through the rain-soaked English countryside is quietly observed by throngs of silent mourners. This sorrowfully muted opening scene sets the tone for Lee's ("The Hidden Life of Otto Frank") debut novel, which takes place in World War I's mud-soaked trenches and during the war's immediate aftermath. At war's end, decorated war correspondent Alex Dyer finds a sympathetic ear when speaking with a gardener working with a small team to restore battlefields turned into cemeteries. Over the course of several days, Alex reveals the story of his doomed wartime romance with his closest friend's wife. Although this may be familiar territory for many readers, Lee's description of the fate of the maimed veterans and the search for and burial of the Unknown Soldier lends fresh poignancy. A fine selection for most public libraries.Barbara Love, Kingston Frontenac P.L., Ont.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2007
London, 1914. Alex Dyer, an ambitious war correspondent, meets up with lifelong friend Ted Eden for an evening before both are deployed to the front line. When Ted introduces Alex to his fianc'e, Clare, the look they exchange is enough to seal all their fates. Told in flashback by Alex in the aftermath of the war, the thread constantly switches between the outward struggles and private demons of all three characters. The harrowing realities of trench warfare and the lives of the anonymous many who perished are recounted here in shocking, vivid detail. Alex and Clares passion proves a strange counterpoint to the inhumanity surrounding them, but their actions spur catastrophic consequences. Building to a wrenching climax, their story is refracted in the fate of the countless soldiers who went over the top. Like the millionsof families during the Great War, they are left with too many questions and no true answers. Liberally mixing fact and fiction, Lee chronicles this historical, romantic, and literary thriller with a masterful touch; the heartfelt outcome deftly brings her story full circle.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)