Journey to the End of the Night
Louis-Ferdinand Celine
1932
Around 435 pages
There's no shortage of ugly things in this world, so what's one more novel hellbent on describing how futile and violent life is. I wouldn't recommend using Celine to talk yourself off that ledge.
Once again, we experience the life of a World War I soldier. Ferdinand actually manages to make it out of the trenches and be miserable in Paris, French colonial Africa, and the United States as well. Celine really zooms out of the war and takes on death as a concept. I think this is where Jean-Paul Sartre got his sense of humor.
Because of his remarkably fresh, albeit bleak, perspective, this is probably my favorite World War I novel so far.
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
Ranked 51st on The Guardian's list of "100 Greatest Novels of All Time"
UP NEXT: Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon. Sounds like an assassin.
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