Book of the Week

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Recommended by Rayyan Nasir

'Our knowledge of life is limited to death' - Erich Maria Remarque

Remarque's novel All Quiet on the Western Front is a powerful piece of historical fiction, vividly depicting the horrors of the First World War through the eyes of a German serviceman, Paul Baumer, who in stark contrast to the typical war hero stories of the Great War is only a misled young serviceman, as were many of the soldiers consigned to life in the trenches.

At only 18, Paul and many of his classmates are pressured into joining the army to serve their country by their professor in the patriotic fervour of 1914. They are not met with the promised glory and adventure but hell on earth.What follows is a detailed narration of the realities of life in the trenches, and the suffering endured by the common infantryman over the course of one of the bloodiest wars in human history. Remarque’s powerful writing and detailed descriptions make this book all the more enthralling. All Quiet on the Western Front delivers an emotional story, invoking sympathy from the audience and maintaining intrigue throughout the book.

Notable qualities of the book include its first person narration, giving the reader a more personal feeling connection to the characters, and even a sense of relatability. As well as this the simple writing style without many technical flourishes emphasise the brutal reality and unforgiving nature of the story and the events throughout the book. Furthermore, we develop an idea of the protagonist’s ideas and opinions throughout the book, such as his abhorrence towards the leaders who send him and his classmates to die for their glory, underscoring his presentation as not a soldier but a man.

There is no resolution or closure at the end of the novel, for there was no end to the war for those who fought it. We are not given a resolution but left to ponder the fates of those millions who faced such torment.  Overall, Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front is an engrossing novel, and an incredibly unique book for its themes and potent story.