Being one of the generation that has never had to fight a war it's
hard to put yourself in the place of an 18 year old in the mud and blood splattered
trenches of the First World War but this book plants you firmly there.
Boys of Blood and Bone is a marvellous book contrasting the stories of two 18
year olds, one, Andy Lansell who fought and died on the western front 85 years ago
and another, Henry Lyon who is a surfer type travelling along the NSW coast.
In 1917 some one million men lost their lives in the battle of
Ypres, including 38,000
Australians. Metzenthen graphically brings to life the atmosphere of the Trenches, the grime, the
hardships, the always present threat of death and contrasts it with the carefree
life of modern day Henry living a life of windsurfing, sex, drinking with his mates
and so on.
With this book Metzenthen proves himself to have a fine voice. Recommended.
