As my grandfather was blinded in one eye and suffered shrapnel wounds, initially reported missing and presumed dead at the age of 19 in the Battle of the Somme, I’m ever so slightly obsessed by WW1 so when I was offered the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for Peace on the Western Front by Mattia Signorini, I couldn’t resist. My thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me. It’s a plasure to share my review today.

Published by Zaffre imprint Manilla on 9th November, Peace on the Western Front is available for purchase here.

Peace on the Western Front

The worst of enemies. The best of friends.

1914. A boy enrols in the army, hoping to find peace in the great adventure of war. Handed a rifle, he discovers the grim reality: grey days distinguished only by the ever-present spectre of death. In the midst of horror, he finds close friendships, love and companionship. In an unexpected act of courage, he changes the course of history, bringing German and Brits to put down their weapons for a celebration of peace.

In 1933, a father and son set out for Flanders. The former soldier carries more of the war with him than his maimed left hand. The British man he met in the forest of Ypres is a memory passed down from father to son, a story of friendship across enemy lines, forged by one uniting belief: the need for peace.

My Review of Peace on the Western Front

A man and his son are in Ypres.

My goodness! Peace on the Western Front may be more of a novella than a full length book, but it is imbued with profound emotion and humanity that left me reeling. It’s wonderful. 

I’m actually struggling to write a review as I don’t want to sully the book. Mattia Signorini looks deep into the soul of mankind and lays it bare for his readers. Peace on the Western Front is historically vivid and obviously meticulously researched, but also heart-breakingly relevant to today’s political landscape. 

The characterisation is magnificent. The fact the young boy is unnamed until the end of the story is critical because he represents an innocent Everyman as well as adding to the emotional impact of Mattia Signorini’s writing. I thought the central character, William, was so brilliantly drawn. The way his past has weighed on his present actions and his ongoing relationship with his father, and the manner with which his understanding – not only of himself but of the world around him – is depicted, is sensitive, compassionate and terribly affecting. This is a book that hits the reader hard in the solar plexus.

What works so well in creating impact for the reader is the essential simplicity of the author’s style and vocabulary, beautifully translated by Vicki Satlow. This makes the themes and messages of the narrative all the more powerful in contrast. Certainly this is historical fiction with a carefully crafted dual timeline, but much more than that it is a story about faith, war, empathy, compassion, bravery and love. 

I adored Peace on the Western Front. It moved me immeasurably and I cannot recommend it highly enough. 

About Mattia Signorini

Mattia Signorini holds a degree in communications from the University of Padua. After working as an Editor in Milan, he started a creative writing school, the Palomar School, in his hometown, Rovigo.

For more information, find Mattia on Instagram and Facebook.

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