In Memoriam by Alice Winn – Book Review

First up: this is a novel everyone should add to their TBR list, or move it swiftly to the top.

Quite simply, In Memoriam* is a beautiful story set at the beginning of World War I, following Henry (Heinrich) Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood at an all-boys boarding school, Preshute. Both are in love with each other, but dare not say anything to the other (this was ‘back in the day’ after all).

Alice Winn introduces us to these young men who naively look forward to the prospect of a war in Europe. Like their student acquaintances, they are innocent and excited by it all, where they insist they will easily go and slaughter their enemies… that’s until the Preshutian school paper starts publishing the names of those who have died at war – some of them, fellow students.

I can remember exactly where I was when I finished it – not so much where I started because I was so absorbed in this novel. I was on my way to a Winchester Books Festival event with tears pooling in my eyes, to see Winn herself (blog post coming next week!).

Between the two, Gaunt is first to go to fight, with pressure from his family to prove he supports the British in a way of showing he doesn’t condone what Germany is doing, whilst protecting the family name as his sister Maud is ‘at risk’ of being overlooked by possible suitors, according to their worrisome German mother.

This doesn’t become just a tale of their love story, but whether or not they will survive.

It cannot be underestimated how much research went into this novel. Yes, she wrote the first draft in 2 weeks whilst living in Los Angeles, but it took her another year and a half to edit, including amendments to death scenes; previously she would just have them shot in the head, until she read memoirs full of ‘the gory stuff’ which actually happened, so she weaved it in.

It’s compelling, stunning, easy to read, delicately written and just beautiful. Winn is a masterful storyteller.

Unsurprisingly, In Memoriam* was the fastest-selling hardback debut of 2023. It was Alice Winn’s fourth novel, having had her previous three rejected. Thank goodness she persisted! It also won the 2023 Waterstones Debut for Fiction Prize—again, unsurprising. It’s a phenomenal book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this novel: it’s become one of my favourites I’ve read so far this year, alongside TM Logan’s The Dream Home* and Green Dot by Madeleine Gray.

Look out for my upcoming blog on seeing Alice Winn at Winchester Books Festival!

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