Four Soldiers

Author, Hubert Mingarelli, pulled me aside for a trip back in time to revisit the Russian Civil War; the year was 1919. It'd been the one clash between nations I knew so little about - until now. Exceptional credit is extended to Sam Taylor who did a fabulous job of translating this novel from French into English. I can't begin to imagine the effort that that took. Well done Sam.

The morose, panic-stricken scenes were an actual testament to the slow decay of the mind when subjected to the endless pitfalls of combat troops in war. Life as they had known it slowly dragged on one impossible day at a time.

Four soldiers met up and became best of friends while they were attached to the Red Army and fought on the Romanian front. Times were beyond difficult; they were unbearable. In order to survive, they were forced to eat their horses and scavenge whatever food and provisions they could gather from local homes they passed along the way. The days were bitter cold, the night's intolerably freezing. That was cause enough for the war to take a break and wait it out till spring. It would not go away.

With the rest of their company, the four comrades built a hut for themselves and made camp hidden away in the middle of a forest. They did whatever they could to occupy the endless days and nights. Mindless hours of shooting dice for cigarettes helped ease their troubled minds. Clear days were spent sitting by a pond concealed from the rest of their company within the reeds. They knew their time was running out. War would not let go.

As always, time had a way of marching on, and in their case, too fast. Spring had finally arrived and it was time for them to pull out, time for some to sacrifice their lives for a cause they could not begin to comprehend. All that waited ahead for them down the dirt road were bullets and bombs. If lucky, their demise would come quickly.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and The New Press for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wow, this is a fantastic short work, and I honestly couldn't put it down. It is a very minimalist work, basic and to the point but capable of conveying a great deal of feeling and "soul." The story is very basic. The titular four soldiers are the smartass but haunted Pavel, the mighty but childish Kyabine, the quiet and sensitive Sifra, and insecure narrator Benia, as well as the Evdokim kid, the shy new volunteer. No great battles or glorious charges are to be found here, nor any pretentious politicizing. Just a handful of comrades enjoying a series of "good memories" as they wait to be sent back to the war where there are no "good memories." It is all simple, matter of fact statements by characters with no grand eloquent ideals, although that does not mean that they are incapable of introspection and intense moments of feeling.

This work reminded me of that short section of All Quiet on the Western Front where the soldiers are all behind the lines and away from the war, just laying in the sun, in "Four Soldiers' " case next to their pond, not thinking of death and destruction. Of course the war and it's themes are always lingering over the story and pick away at the edges of their happiness.

Honestly, I really don't know what else to say. The book is superb and I am excited to see what other works Mr. Mingarelli has crafted.

I received an copy of this book from Netgalley.