Non-combatants and Others

Rose Macaulay's powerfully felt pacifist novel of the First World War records the suffering and passion of Alix Sandomir's rebellion against the foolishness of her fellow noncombatants. The year is 1915, and Alix moves from her cousins home in the country to the suburban villa Violette with its impervious, engrossed household. Here we meet a gallery of preoccupied characters drawn with all Rose Macaulay's wit and observation, who for a while distract Alix from the frustrations and impotence of her position. But when she learns the truth about the death of her younger brother on the front line she becomes increasingly aware of the ineffective role of women in war. Angered by her own ineffectualness Alix finally begins her battle for peace.