Sidney Ellwood and Henry Gaunt are friends at their prestigious boarding school who, along with most of their school, sign up to fight in the First World War. They are also in love with each other, though reluctant to admit it even to themselves. In Memoriam by Alice Winn takes its readers on a journey that will be familiar to anyone who reads fiction set in or around (or written during) the First World War. The slice of life we are served up is that of privileged public-school boys, devastated physically, or mentally, by their experiences in some of the most harrowing battles of the War. Along the way they lose almost all their school friends, and struggle to adjust to life back in Britain. The love story between the two boys starts to offer us a new (though not wholly original) perspective. The story of their romance is compelling and is the force that propels the narrative forward, constantly leaving the reader wondering if they will ever be able to admit their feelings and find love. The author’s acknowledgements give credit to several different sources of inspiration, but for anyone well-versed in the literature, memoir, or letters of the War there are a much greater number of moments borrowed from elsewhere that remain unacknowledged, including many parallels between the life and military service of Sidney Ellwood and Siegfried Sassoon; and the life of Maud Gaunt and Vera Brittain. Whilst most readers may not notice these influences, I found them distracting and disappointing when I wanted a fresh approach to a First World War story. The plot suffers from too many coincidences and is almost too neatly tied up at the end to be wholly satisfying or realistic. I desperately wanted to love this novel but found myself wanting more. What does shine through is Winn’s great talent of plotting and storytelling, and I look forward to reading future work from her.