A Century of November

by W.D. Wetherell and W.D. Wetherell

Book Overview

Winner of the 2004 Michigan Literary Fiction Award for novel

A haunting story of the power of death, the pain of loss, and the possibility of hope.

"Gripping, damning, and transfixing."
---Entertainment Weekly

" . . . possesses a time-bending gravity. . . . A] small classic of graceful language and earned emotion."
---San Francisco Chronicle

". . . a beautifully written novel of war and the wrenching...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 047211431X
• ISBN13: 9780472114313
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press
• Length: 164 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Spectacular and Unconventional Novel of War

So many novels of war glamorize or valorize the act of killing. This novel ingeniously shows the trauma left afterwards -- in the landscape and the psyche of the people and places left once the war is over. In beautifully wrought prose that shines and surprises in every sentence, W.D. Wetherell shows us the margins and hidden corners that so often are ignored in the midst of documenting the carnage. This is a novel that places itself in the company of great war novels like Pat Barker's REGENERATION and Tim O'Brien's GOING AFTER CACCIATIO. And if women are reading this review, please read this book! It's not your typical shoot-'em-up war novel.

Classic tale beautifully told

I bought the book based on a glowing review in the paper, something I do more and more hesitantly these days, having been disappointed lots of times in the purchase. But this was worth every word the reviewer gave it. It's an old, old story: guy leaves town looking for something. But Wetherell's telling of it comes alive because of reams of period (WWI) research, all of it subsumed to character and plot; a gorgeous handling of language and freshness of image; and odd twists in the progression of the story that only serve to make it more believable. A book for you, if you love a great and simple story immaculately told.

Perfect for a Rainy Saturday

I read this book in a single day, a rainy Saturday that perfectly fit the mood of the story. In the waning days of WWI, a Vancouver Island apple farmer travels to Belgium to find the spot where his son was killed. I've asked my wife's book group to read it because I think it may be a "guy" book, but not in the usual sense, not a violent guy book. We've known many quiet dads as tertiary characters in other novels; this book lets us see through the eyes of a quiet dad. Quiet on the outside, anyway. Well paced, beautifully told. Well worth a Saturday afternoon.