This is the first time I’ve ever read a queer romance and thought “I think my dad would really like this.” Not because my dad’s queerphobic (he’s definitely not), but because my dad likes books about World War I and The Boy I Love by William Hussey manages to simultaneously tell a beautiful story of queer love and identity and a well-researched World War I story.
Set in 1916 in the lead up to the Battle of the Somme, The Boy I Love follows a young officer (Stephen) who has returned to the front after recovering from injury (and losing his childhood sweetheart to the war). Given his injury, Stephen could have chosen to remain home, but he decides to go back to war, resigned – hoping even – to dying in battle, that is until he finds someone he wants to protect in the form of an outspoken private (Danny) who will either get himself killed or court martialed if Stephen doesn’t take him under his wing.
The story takes a realistic and bittersweet approach to queer love in the trenches. It doesn’t idealize anything, making it very clear what will happen if Stephen and Danny are caught in their affair, which (coupled with my knowledge of how very badly the “big push” went) makes for a delicious build-up of tension throughout the novel.
The prose is beautiful and lyrical. The details are well researched. I loved the themes of queer identity in a time before our modern understanding of homosexuality had really been defined and the reminder that queer people have been present throughout history whether they’re included in our history books or not.
There were also themes of class and power: the divide between officers and ordinary soldiers and again the divide between officers serving on the front line and officers making decisions from the safety of headquarters. Hussey explores the frustrations of soldiers having to follow orders given my officers who do not understand the war they are fighting. Orders that they know will likely get them killed, but it comes down to a choice between dying at the hands of the enemy or dying at the hands of their own superiors. The balance between the romance plot and the war plot was so well-executed, nesting them together perfectly.
I highly recommend this book if your a lover of history, queer romance, or both.
If you have any recommendations for me, feel free to drop them in the comments.
Leave a Reply