R3: Days without End by Sebastian Barry

Released: 2016

Genre: Historical Drama

Pages: 301

History can serve a rich backdrop for any story, delivering both context and depth to already engaging narrative. More recently I’ve taken an interest the Indian and American Civil Wars among US history overall. Seeing it on the shelf of recommended books, I bought a copy, taking some time to read it all the way through.

The book follows homosexual Irish couple Thomas McNulty and John Cole as they meet in America, serve in the military, witness countless horrid deeds and soon encounter the Native American tribes who were caught in the middle and eventually forced off their old lands by the white man. During this time, they find a displaced child named Winona who brings out the best in both, but also exposes the harsh reality of the conflicts they find themselves in. The plot is framed entirely from Thomas’s perspective in the first person, relaying the events to the reader as they happen, occasionally becoming more reflective to draw them in to the things he cares about most in his life. It’s very easy to follow and tells a complete story; any shifts in time are clearly marked by the author.

Some of the major themes of Days without End include family, personified by Thomas and Cole’s relationship and later their bond with Winona. What’s interesting is how the characters come together despite their lack of natural blood ties. At times the book will move you in the way individuals from completely diverse backgrounds live in harmony despite the chaos of events going on around them. This contrasts with the nature of duty that permeates Thomas’s time in the army, which is often brutally absolute in its treatment of Native Americans, leading to an eventual clash. The final and arguably most important thematic hook is redemption; based on the vividly graphic battles depicted in the story, a sense of guilt weighs both Thomas and John down; it may not boil into full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder, but it is subtly noticeable. These themes working together enhance the novel’s emotive elements, compelling the reader to see the narrative to the end.

Recommended?

Any reader of history or closed emotive drama should give Days without End a look. It’s very slow moving, yet always vivid in its portrayals of both the American Civil War and the relationships between the characters. The book only has a few chapters of violent action and it certainly won’t appeal to those looking for an in-depth study of the Civil War as this is only a passing event in the book’s huge timescale rather than the main focus.

The book went on to be listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2017 and it is worthy of that title. Given how it’s a fairly recent book, plans for adaptations and other expansions are rare, but with the right amount of balance between its different elements, it could make for a strong historical drama in a similar vein to 2005’s Brokeback Mountain.