The WARS

 Timothy Findley. The WARS. Penguin, 1978.

Thrift store divination, just when I was looking for something Canadian about history. Short. A relative is researching the military history of a WW I soldier. Starts with his teenage years, a guilt over inattention to a sister in a wheelchair when she fell, hit her head, and died. As a teen, signs up, sent to officer training in Alberta, first brothel, sexual experience, and exposure to men in the next room. Supervising Boer War vets, when he has never shot a weapon. Asks his father to send him a pistol. Traumas trigger guilt about sister. On leave in England, has an affair. Returns to the front. Very Wilfred Owen, Dulce et and Anthem for Doomed Youth.