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““Try to understand them,” Freddie had added. He was kinder than her too. “Look at the world now. It’s terrifying, isn’t it? We have flying machines. Phonographs. Moving pictures, even. Everything is changing so fast. Mother’s frightened. In a way, it’s easier to imagine the world’s going to end. At least there’s a certainty to it. End-bam-done. But change—where does change stop?””

What is the Book about?

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.

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Rating
Plot ★★★☆☆
Characters ★★★★☆
Excitement ★★★☆☆
Atmosphere ★★★★★
Writing Style ★★★★☆

Favourite Character
Laura

My thoughts while reading it

Before diving into the book, the reader already knows that they’re about to embark on an emotional journey, inherent in the book’s theme. With a unique narrative style, the author transforms a dramatic plot into an incredibly mysterious and heart-wrenching atmosphere during a time when emotions were forbidden. “The Warm Hands of Ghosts” offers a historical narrative, infusing it with a speculative twist, creating something new.

After watching the film “1917,” I can’t get enough of historical narratives about World War I. Nothing touches one more deeply than true stories or perhaps even fictional ones set just a century ago. What may sound interesting, dramatic, and somewhat romantic for readers was, in reality, bleak, depressing, and perhaps forcibly emotionless for those who lived through that time. Katherine Arden tells us the story in this vein. Right from the start, the author offers us a unique narrative style with short, choppy sentences devoid of emotions. And that’s exactly what our history during that time was like, as people had no choice but to completely detach themselves from their emotions to survive. Despite the unemotional narrative style, readers are thrown into a profoundly emotional story.

Two siblings, separated during the war, try to find each other again. We have Laura, a nurse, and her brother Freddie, a soldier, both believing they’ve lost each other. Laura embarks on a search for her brother, although it seems he has fallen in the war. Through these two characters, we see different sides of the war. On one hand, we witness a nurse showing what physically and emotionally happens to soldiers in war. Despite seeing the soldiers’ pain, Laura remains emotionless – there was likely no other way to endure. This stark contrast makes Laura a more realistic character, and it’s what makes her storyline so emotional. Scenes in the sickbeds, where one can feel the soldiers’ suffering, made me feel nauseous, as they should. And even though the seemingly emotionless Laura, always with a cigarette in her mouth, appears cool, one knows she’s a warm-hearted person, trying to keep the soldiers entertained with funny stories. Then there’s Freddie, contrasting sharply with Laura as he’s highly emotional. His tragic situation seems to have made him depressive, often not wanting to preserve his own life but rather sacrifice it for others he doesn’t even know. This interaction between the “enemy” German soldier and Freddie shows the humanity of war. What can the ordinary foot soldiers do about what the higher-ups discuss in their red chairs? This message, that people, despite different backgrounds and even though they should be enemies, can and want to fight for each other, was heartwarming to read. So, while Freddie’s story is more emotional on paper, it wouldn’t be complete without the contrast to Laura.

Even though this may sound like a very depressing story, which it definitely is at times, I must say that there’s always hope for both characters, and one never feels too deeply immersed in the tragic aspects of the war. Yes, we see death, physical mutilations, mental illnesses, misery, suffering, but also hope. Hope for life after, hope for family and friends, for returning home. But of course, even with hope, something remains that can change one for a lifetime, sometimes for the better, but also for the worse.

Lastly, I’d like to say something about the fantasy part, which could be more accurately described as magical realism, although that’s also challenging to define. I would have preferred more realism and less fantasy. Initially, it was intriguing to read how reality and the surreal intertwine, and many interpretations of the fantasy part opened up. I also wished that the fantasy part had ended with an open ending, allowing readers to decide for themselves what was real, what the character may have spun from their own thoughts. This would have better illustrated the effects of war. Unfortunately, this isn’t left open to us, and we receive a definite answer, which one may either like or dislike. Personally, this took away a bit from the emotional part for me. The same can be said for the ending, which I won’t spoil. But it didn’t quite convince me, and I hope other readers like it more.

An opening brimming with perfection, albeit a latter part that personally didn’t convince me and took away some of the tragedy of war. Nonetheless, this is a story one should read. Tragedy and hope are well-balanced here, shaping the emotional journey of the siblings’ story. More historical settings with a hint of fantasy, please!

Reading Recommendation? ✓
Favourite? ✘