In this one, we follow Bess, a British Army nurse, as she witnesses first-hand the profound and everlasting effects the war has on people through the path walked by a certain Captain Alan Travis who insists his cousin shot him twice.
The Charles Todd Team Returns to World War I
Endless literature, both factual and fictional, has been created on the topic of the First World War, the events leading up to it as well as its eventual historical repercussions. It came to an end a hundred years ago, and the further we step away from it, the less real it all feels in a certain sense.
While we know without a doubt the events did take place, I believe very few of us actually feel a connection to them or the people caught up in the meat grinder... at this point, they are all just stories.
Then comes along the writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd with the novel A Casualty of War, reminding us people as real as you and I took part in the war, and they were no less damaged by it than the unfortunate veterans of today.
The novel in question is part of the Bess Crawford series, a British Army battlefield nurse who has seen the worst the war has to offer. As the story begins we are nearing the end of the conflict, yet the fighting still rages strongly in some places.
One day while waiting for a transfer, Bess comes to meet a certain Captain Alan Travis, brought to her aid station with a head wound, and a peculiar insistence it was his cousin, Lieutenant James Travis, who shot him.
Not long after, the Captain returns to the first aid station, this time with an even graver head wound, and an even stronger insistence it was his cousin who did it to him.
However, once it becomes clear James could not have possibly shot him having died a year ago, people begin to question the sanity of the Captain, a respected and experienced officer in all regards.
However, the worst is yet to come: upon returning home for leave, Bess tracks the Captain and finds him in a clinic for brain injuries, strapped to a bed like an inmate in an asylum.
Horrified by what she witnesses, Bess decides to find the story behind this Lieutenant James Travis in hopes of shedding some light on what ends up being a very surprising relationship between cousins.
Through the Glass of the Broken Mind
Though it is true many novels have sought to portray the psychological effects of war on people, I find most of them lack the depth and precision to tackle this sort of topic.
After all, the human mind is arguably one of the most complicated things in existence, and one could likely write one tome after the next about how extreme duress affects it.
The first aspect I really liked about A Casualty of War is the authors' dedication to the exploration of the slow and agonizing deterioration of the Captain's mental health.
While it doesn't drag on forever for the purposes of the story, we clearly see the various transformations he undergoes from one head injury to the next, accentuated by Bess' clear and insightful observations into his medical condition.
Even once the Captain goes fully insane and is strapped to a bed, he remains, to me at least, the focal point of the book, an example of what happened to far too many people who came back from the front.
Everything we learn about the man and his relationship with his cousin is used to colour his personality, to make us miss a man we never truly encountered.
Additionally, as we get better acquainted with the Captain and his backstory, we also come face-to-face with the various people in his life and witness how the tragedy of his condition has profoundly affected them.
All too often we pay very little attention to the parents, siblings, family members and friends who must contend with watching the people they love devolve into empty shells of their former selves.
The anguish, pain and melancholy they experience radiates through the book, which I feel comes as close as possible to capturing the brutal sorrow of war... and reminding us some wounds never heal.
The Trail of Mystery
If we take a moment to move aside all the war-related material, what the novel remains with is a compelling drama mystery with very little nonsense to get in the way.
As a matter of fact, I would say Caroline and Charles Todd might have gone a tad overboard in this regard, for when it comes to Bess Crawford herself, the character development seems to be a tad lacking in some areas. We seldom get a glimpse into her inner world if the events at hand aren't directly related to nursing or the case she is investigating.
As a matter of fact, we barely gloss over what seem like important events in her life, such as learning her best friend since childhood might actually be in love with her. In other words, Bess' inner world isn't exactly the most developed.
With that being said, I feel the mystery and everything around it are compelling enough to allow Bess to be an agent of the story rather than a focus for development. It is a book series after all, and not every entry is obligated to develop the main character... sometimes it's just about telling a story using an already well-established and fleshed out figure.
Her narration in regards to the case and the field of nursing is always interesting and insightful in some way, pushing things along at a consistent and surprisingly quick pace.
While most authors would just use them as exposition, the Todds do their best to weave those elements into the story, even if in a loose and indirect manner. Ultimately, this makes for a convincing, engaging and multifaceted plot which has no trouble holding the reader's attention.
The Final Verdict
To cap things off, A Casualty of War by Charles Todd is a powerful novel with an engaging plot and a revealing meditation on the profound psychological scars war can leave on people.
It makes you feel something for people who fought and died a hundred years ago, as well as pushes you to think and imagine for yourself the ravage it caused to the human mind.
I highly recommend this book to anyone fascinated by the First World War and its consequences on the humanitarian side.
 | Charles ToddPersonal siteCharles Todd is a pen name used by a mother and son writing team, Caroline and Charles Todd. They have achieved renown in the world of writing through their series of novels set in the First World War following inspector Ian Rutledge. Those include A Test of Wills, Hunting Shadows and No Shred of Evidence. They have also penned a couple of standalone novels, The Murder Stone and The Walnut Tree. |
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