War and Turpentine

Beautifully written (and translated) and moving story of the author's grandfather, from his poverty in the early 20th century and his growth as an artist to the horror of WWI and the loss of the girl he loved during the Spanish flu epidemic. The book is divided into three parts - life before the war, the war itself, and the years after 1918.

A very thoughtful and old fashioned novel. Hertmans writes about his grandfather's life both before and after World War I.

'His publisher announced that War and Turpentine was to be a great novel about the First World War. Stefan Hertmans has lived up to that promise...