Book Review: Two Sons by Stewart Owen

Two Sons is a compelling story about two families, and the titular two sons lost during the Great War. One English. One German.

After adjusting to the style of writing, I really rather enjoyed this book. It spoke to me on a deeply personal level. Growing up in a German family living in Canada made November 11th confusing, and this confusion and difficulty is seen within Two Sons. As John Williams, the father of the English son, said "they're the enemy." But then, so were the Allies to the Germans. In the end, we see the reconciliation between the two families as they understand that they are each two families, from two countries, two armies, and two sons. But one shared grief.

The lovely part of the book was knowing that it was based on the author's family. It made me even more invested in the story. At times I found it difficult to understand the dialect of the characters but I soon grew accustomed to it.

Overall I found this to be a wonderful story and I look forward to reading the sequel.