Herman Wouk’s epic World War II saga that started with “The Winds of War,” continues in “War and Remembrance.” As the story progresses, so does the war, and with it, trauma, tragedy, and terror. Like the war itself, the book can at times feel long and depressing. However, Wouk beautifully intertwines historical battles and losses of life with the power of love and human resilience. From the entry of the United States into the war until the suicide of Adolf Hitler, the reader is pulled into World War II and rooting for the Allies.
Once again, the reader follows the lovable Henry family through the war. The father, Pug, and his two sons, Warren and Byron are in the military and take the reader through several historical battles including the Allied invasions at Normandy and the Philippines. Meanwhile, Byron’s Jewish wife, Natalie and son, Louis, are trapped with their Uncle Aaron in Nazi-occupied Europe. Even as American citizens, Natalie and Aaron are unprotected from the Nazis and get placed in concentration camps.
“War and Remembrance,” though fictional, captures the essence of human experience in World War II. The substantial loss of life and loved ones is heartbreaking, and the sheer length of the war is unfathomable for those of us who never experienced it. Through this novel, Wouk provides the reader with deep insight of the war, that can be found nowhere else.
Hannah Lapin 