Postcards from No Man's Land

Postcards from No Man's Land
By Aidan Chambers
Dutton Books, 2002. 312 pgs. Fiction

Jacob is a 17-year old young man from England in Amsterdam to visit a friend of his grandmother’s, Geertrui, who as a young woman helped nurse wounded British soldiers during WW II. One storyine follows Jacob in his adventures in and around Amsterdam during his stay in Holland. Another storyline, set during WWII, tells of Geertrui falling in love with a British soldier—Jacob’s grandfather. The two stories are artfully interwoven and told in intercut chapters which play counterpoint to one another. The two stories fold together very nicely toward the end of the book. The story is engaging and the dialog clever. Jacob is confronted with adultery, homosexuality, transvestitism, and euthanasia. In spite of these elements the main characters are all impressive for their forthrightness and their sensitivity. Underscored is the idea that regardless of experiences, geography, lifestyle, and language we all share something in common: our humanity.

SML