October 9, 2006

Book 34: The Winds of War

The Winds of War
Herman Wouk

I read this book on a recommendation from a random middle-school teacher I met at work, who also gave me his copy. Now, normally this doesn't exactly sound like the soundest of recommendations, but let me tell you, this guy had my taste absolutely nailed. This book was incredible. Clocking in at 1046 pages (in my edition, anyway), it's a beast, but it's definitely worth the time.

For starters, it's entirely engaging. The novel takes on World War II, that behemoth present in everyone's mind in some form or another. Wouk carefully winds together a compelling personal narrative with the greater framework of the tensions in Europe and the United States during the first perdiod of the war (up to December 1941) through the experiences of Victor Henry and his family. Highlighting Wouk's devotion to fact and believability is the enclosed "translation" of a fictional history of the war by a German general, conveniently done by the main character. The book is served in installments preceding coming events in the novel. While in some circumstances this may have led to disruption and ruined surprises, Wouk's choice of the very familiar World War II as a time setting allows this account to actually help the flow of events connected to the ensemble cast.

This cast is delicately and carefully constructed, carefully spread throughout the world to offer the experience of World War II through many eyes. Various members of the Henry family are present at any key event, but only rarely do the movements seem contrived. Though their positioning is obviously deliberate, Wouk's reasoning is sound and believable, with the possible exception of the main character (a minor Navy man who manages to meet every major leader except for Hirohito). Thankfully, though, Victor Henry seems just as bewildered at his fate as his audience is, allowing the reader to relax and go with the flow.

The flow of the novel is phenomenal, but late in the novel its flaws become slightly apparent. Certain characters are entirely neglected until relevant, which is confusing and does serve to interrupt flow a bit. One of the Henry children is developed at length early, only to disappear until the last five pages, and only then in a quick letter to her father. Also, towards the end of the novel Wouk's omniscient narrator feels the need to wax philosophical and address the novel itself, calling attention to the fact that the cast of characters is spread throughout the globe on the eve of, say, Operation Barbarossa (which I repeat almost verbatim from memory). There is another lapse like this very late in the novel, where Wouk seems to forget that the events speak for themselves, which they do when allowed to.

Though the novel is necessarily event-driven, its main characters are not lacking. Victor Henry is no perfect hero; he has his faults and acknowledges them along with the reader, though in real time (and thus slightly behind the reader). His wife is downright annoying, but in an extremely believable way. Wouk's descriptions of people also deserve mention. He always manages the most apt metaphors, ignoring the obvious and painting a clear and entertaining picture of even the most mundane background characters.

This novel is an amazing adventure through the most troubling period of recent European history. Though Wouk may play around the edges of believability at times, those occurences are rare and are lost in the amazingly coherent flow of the novel as a whole. The writing is brilliant, the characters are believable and sympathetic without being quite stereotypical, and fact is duly noted where appropriate. Wouk makes the early European and American experiences of World War II a personal event to his readers, bringing them right into the thick of the action and never letting up. I can't wait to get at the sequel.

Grade: A

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