The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
Genre : Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher : Del Rey
During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that suggest otherwise, in this hauntingly beautiful historical novel with a speculative twist from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale
January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?
November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.
As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.
This was a fantastic read that had me wondering about a lot of things! It was a bit slow at first but I think the second half of the story was the best part of this one! It kinda straddles the line between historical fiction and fantasy, and it's quite different in tone from the author's other books. But, the writing is still very beautiful with a melancholic touch to it.
The Warm Hands Of Ghosts is told from the perspective of two siblings - Laura and Freddie Iven. Laura is a retired field nurse who has returned home to Halifax after being wounded. But, tragedy seems to have followed her here too and just as she's reeling from its effects, she receives word of her brother's death - but things seem unclear. So she sets off back to Europe to discover the truth along with a new friend Pim Shaw who has lost her son too. As they travel through the war-torn battlefields they come across a mysterious hotelier whose wine seems to give tortured souls the gift of oblivion. But, what is the price to be paid?
We also go back a few months ago in time to see things from Freddie's perspective - where he is trapped under a pillbox with an enemy soldier, after an explosion. Harrowing circumstances have them joining forces to find a way to survive and get out, but Freddie has a lot of demons to face - both literally and metaphorically.
This was a fascinating tale that showed the horrors of war and its effect on the psyche while also weaving in a thread of fantasy/paranormal. Though WWI is a part of history to us now, it was quite interesting to see how it might have seemed like an apocalyptic time to some - with warfare, epidemics and turmoil everywhere. Each character has their own ghosts to face- which is a recurring theme in the story. The first half was a bit slow and it took me a while to warm up to Laura as she seemed to be repressing her emotions. I admired her dedication to her brother though. Freddie was an interesting character too and it was hard not to feel sympathy for him. I think both of the characters finally had a chance to shine in the second half as the plot sped up but things took a weird turn at times with the fantasy aspect remaining unexplained till the end(but I guess that's the point). The story was depressing at times but very realistic too!
But on the other hand, the romantic sub plots felt out of place to me - especially Laura and the doctor's relationship. I couldn't really feel the connection between them and I felt like it came out of nowhere. Hans and Freddie's connection was more believable - given their circumstances, but I'd have liked to have seen more interactions between them on page too!
In the end, I think this was a great story with amazing writing and if you're looking for a WWI story with a supernatural twist, you'll definitely enjoy this one too!
You can also find this review on my bookstagram here
*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Katherine Arden is the New York Times bestselling author of the Winternight trilogy and the Small Spaces Quartet. In addition to writing, she enjoys aimless travel, growing vegetables, and running wild through the woods with her dog, Moose. She lives in Vermont.
Comments
Post a Comment