Bleak and intense are the words I would use to describe this World War I German novel. Scenes in the trenches and military hospitals are vividly described, and not for the faint of heart.However, if you have a strong enough stomach, this novel is worth a read.

This account from the perspective of a young solider depicts many of the most unromantic realities of war that often get omitted from written representation. To add to the dread, this is written from the perspective of a 'loser.' History is often written by the winners, for the winners. Without the burden of writing to justify something as broad-reaching and incomprehensible as war, the author is able to explore inconvenient truths that surround mass human suffering.

The young soldiers' preponderances about why they are present fighting a war for the abstract notion of the 'nation,' is also an interesting idea. Benedict Anderson famously referred to nations as 'imagined communities,' and in the novel these young souls wasting away in the barracks wonder why they continue to fight for a cause that was decided by something so impersonal.

Scenes of the main character trying to reconcile who he once was, with the soldier he has become, are also quite striking. More than disillusioned, the jarring divide of who he was and is furthers his disillusion and perpetuates his suffering.