Kevin Powers’ latest novel marks a return to the themes he previously explored in his celebrated debut, The Yellow Birds, which earned the Guardian’s first book award in 2012. This new work delves into the complexities of courage, folly, cruelty, and absurdity in the context of warfare, as well as the difficulties faced by veterans in readjusting to civilian life. While The Yellow Birds depicted the experiences of American soldiers in Iraq—where Powers himself served from 2003 to 2004—Children of the Wild shifts its focus to the devastation of World War I.
The narrative follows the lives of two young men from a secluded valley in Virginia. Roy, an arrogant heir to a prosperous landowner, contrasts with Ennis, an orphan of mysterious origins who has lived in a remote shack on a mountain, resembling a character from a fairytale. Their lives intertwine through a love triangle involving Samantha, the daughter of the local minister, whom Ennis is drawn to. Although Roy had anticipated marrying Samantha, she ultimately chooses the wild Ennis. In a surprising turn, Roy quickly redirects his affections to his college roommate’s wealthy yet superficial sister, Esther. The two men resolve their rivalry through a fierce fight, which unexpectedly fosters a genuine friendship.
When Roy enlists as an officer to fight in France, he persuades Ennis to join him as a private, a decision that weighs heavily on Roy’s conscience as the story progresses. Despite their differences in social status and class, their experiences in war reveal a stark imbalance in their abilities to kill. Although Roy holds a leadership position, he is plagued by haunting nightmares and feels the burden of responsibility acutely. Conversely, Ennis exhibits a remarkable, almost instinctual talent for combat.
Emerging from a violent confrontation, the bond between Roy and Ennis becomes the most profound connection in the novel, further solidified by subsequent acts of violence both on and off the battlefield. Roy experiences a mix of admiration and fear towards Ennis, who remains indifferent to accolades and glory, finding solace in the darker aspects of his soul that Roy struggles to acknowledge.
Powers demonstrates exceptional storytelling skills, vividly portraying landscapes, gestures, and intricate military confrontations with remarkable clarity. His concise writing propels a gripping narrative filled with intense battle scenes in France, accounts of war crimes, a pandemic, a journey through the Ohio mountains, and reflections on past violence, culminating in a poignant conclusion that underscores the grief caused by war.
The author tackles the themes of violence and its repercussions on both aggressors and victims with an unsettling authority. When Ennis seizes a German machine gun, it is evident that Powers’ background as a machine-gunner in the Iraq War informs the scene. Various characters, including a Civil War veteran, punctuate Roy’s inflated views on warfare and loss with strikingly realistic wisdom, such as, “Every single person on this earth has a hole inside them where someone they loved used to be.”
Embedded within the narrative is a significant reference that reflects Powers’ aspirations for the work. In the context of horrific acts of violence—a scalping and a lynching—characters urge Roy with the phrase “Come and see.” Roy’s repeated questioning of its familiarity suggests a deeper resonance. This phrase evokes the biblical invitation given to John the Revelator to witness the apocalypse, as well as the title of a profoundly impactful Soviet film about war, directed by Elem Klimov. Similar to Klimov’s creation, Powers weaves intense visual elements with the mythic and surreal, revealing the extreme depths of human behavior.
However, Powers’ ambition to craft an epic narrative occasionally leads to melodramatic and implausible moments. When characters embody archetypal roles—like Roy Young and Ennis Duke, reminiscent of the flawed Arthurian king and his Lancelot—this can detract from their realism. Ennis’s transformation from a wild cowherd to a ruthless warrior lacks a fully convincing arc and is marked by events that feel improbable. This trend extends beyond Ennis, as characters often engage in actions that are dramatically compelling yet psychologically implausible. For instance, Samantha distributes gifts to children while transporting her deceased father’s body, and Roy embarks on a mission that seems heartfelt but ultimately feels superficial. Furthermore, Ennis’s return from war leads to an unusual act of self-destruction, and Roy’s future brother-in-law Fintan serves as an exaggerated antagonist whose actions feel overly cartoonish.
The portrayal of violence in the book also raises some discomfort. While violence is ostensibly portrayed as abhorrent, it is simultaneously depicted in an alluring light, particularly when the protagonists are engaged in combat against German soldiers, who are represented in a manner reminiscent of the jingoistic Warlord comics of the author’s youth.
