In 1943 Wenk, a German soldier guarding the Normandy coast, finds himself in a war where the main enemies are loneliness and misery. Corruption is rampant in the High Command: supplies are being siphoned off, and the starving, exhausted soldiers must cross their own minefields to steal potatoes from nearby farms. Against all army rank and protocol, Wenk becomes friends with Lieutenant Schelling, whose protests on behalf of his men have incurred the wrath of another officer. When the company is transferred to the Russian front, heightened fear, suspicion, and mistrust explore the soldiers' barely maintained order into a chaos of desperation. "The great strength of this short novel is its steadfast refusal to glamorize. . . . The clear-eyed wisdom that emerges from it makes it a remarkable achievement." --William Boyd, New Republic "Böll is a master storyteller." --New York Times

A unique window to the times and sacrifices made by those who served and those who remained at home.

He’s an ex-marine with so much to prove... Ex-marine Trevor Farrell is a classic workaholic. Which means he has a successful chain of resorts...and an empty house. So having Jade Evans, the widow of a war hero, and her three kids stay with him while their new home gets renovated is no problem. For a few weeks anyway. Trevor admires Jade’s determination to give her kids a good life. For years, he’s only needed to focus on himself. And yet spending time with Jade leaves him yearning for more. But after being married to a genuine hero, why would she want a man who never saw active duty? If Trevor wants a life with Jade and her family, he’ll need to prove to her—and himself—that he deserves it.

Wenk, a young German soldier who faces the boredom, loneliness, and terror of war, learns that corrupt superiors are siphoning off supplies at the expense of their troops