Monday, April 2, 2007

34. The Breaking Wave

Neville Shute
Rated ★★★

I'm not exactly sure how I ended up reading this book but it's been a real treat. The book kind of sneaks up on you and you slowly find yourself caught up in the emotions of the characters, all of whose lives have been forever shaped and scarred by their experiences in WWII.

It begins with a mystery- the suicide of a parlourmaid at an Australian sheep station that turns out to have profound implications for everyone involved in her life. A deeply moving and haunting novel, Mr. Shute deftly shows us how "Like some infernal monster, still venemous in death, a war can go on killing people for a long time after it's all over."