In my mind, ww1 is the nightmare that keeps your worst nightmares up at night. This was unflinching and unapologetic about the horrors of war and especially the systems that churn millions into the gears of war.

This is a story about a decorated combat nurse going through hell to find her brother as he endures hell and finds refuge in the darkest of places.

I was fascinated by the exploration of what the devil of the old world would do if they found themselves in this man made hell that was indiscriminate of sin and virtue. But I read the devil metaphorically, rather than the literal intention that casts this as historical fantasy - drawn from my own experiences of seeking oblivion from the unspeakable which can quickly lead to mental delusion, shared with those around you to personify, and exorcise, a bogeyman; to keep it at arms length, to shove it in a closet and continue to add locks even though it finds its way out of the smallest of cracks. The devil in this story is so human because it personifies something so many struggle to articulate, but is visible if you know how to look.

Arden doesn’t pull punches, there is no happily ever after - how does one survive a war, even if they walk away?