Review
In A. L. Kennedy's intense novel
,
Day, we meet Alfred Day, a man growing a
mustache and trying to understand the panic, terror,
disease and pain of war. World War II has ended, and
the boys have come home, but some, like Alfie Day,
have residual hurt, horrible dreams and regret.
Alfie joined the Royal Air Force when he was 16 so
that he could have adventure and get away from his
father. He was captured after a failed bombing
mission and imprisoned in Germany. After the war, he
wanders home and gets a job in a bookshop because he
loves to read. When an opportunity comes along to be
an extra in a movie about a prison camp, Day takes
the chance. His small job at the bookshop with Ivor,
another walking casualty, can wait until he finds
himself again,...
Beyond the Book
World War II at the Movies:
Alfred Day's attempt to face
the disillusionment of war on a
film set is similar to what
society at the time was doing at
the movie theaters. The massive
movie hits of the 40s and
50s, like
To Hell and Back,
allowed moviegoers on both sides of the Atlantic to relive moments of the war, if they had been directly involved, or to
understand the nature of war, if
they were not.
Since war broke out in 1939,
World War II has been a favorite
topic with movie studios in the
USA and UK, and no doubt in...
