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Title: World War I was Absurd; Fighting Part of it in Africa was More Absurd
Review: I have always enjoyed Mr. Boyd's darking comedies ("Stars & Bars" come to mind) and his ability to fill out characters who are tantalizingly close to being real - but not quite; and thus very amusing.The beauty of this book is that it takes the absurdity of World War I (a brutual, generation shattering event for winners and losers alike) and then piles on top of it, the absurdity of a bunch ofout of place white Europeans fighting each other over the vast expanse of a continent they don't understand and misuse.The calamities that befall them (Brits and Germans alike) are largely well deserved.Boyd hits on a number of great topics in this one - colonialism; the British class system and the rigidity of its moral codes; the casual disregard for human life in war when no one is watching; and the menace and challenge of surviving in sub-Saharian Africa.I found this to be a very enjoyable read.
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