Remy's Book

Anne's Review

James Wieland’s novel is a powerfully immersive, thoroughly convincing depiction of the horrors of war. As the main character Remy describes the battlefields of France: “Our forward trenches are carpeted with the dead; once the wounded are dressed, we must put them outside. You could fill the cricket ground at home with the men lost out here.” The book also offers vivid evocations of villages that have become mounds of rubble, and of a ravaged Paris.

Counterpointing the stories of war is a deeply moving romance between Remy, an artist, and Ada, a singer. No matter how dire the circumstances, Ada must sing and Remy must paint; and while we learn that the two grew up together believing they were twins, the confusion which ensues is one of the highlights of the story.

It’s a great pleasure to claim James Weiland as one of our own local Perth authors.