Beaufort by Ron Lesham
Review by MJ
The book chronicles the high points and low points of life for an Israel Defence Force unit over several years, stationed at the Beaufort Castle outpost during the South Lebanon conflict. The narrative viewpoint is from the unit’s commander who oversaw the eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the outpost.
It is a work of fiction, based loosely on true events. But to say it’s fiction misses the point of what this book says to me. A group of boys in their late teens or early twenties, thrown together and injected into a world where life pendulums between the tedium of kitchen duty and the nerve-racking excitement of combat, they collectively experience the whole range of human emotions and drag you along for that rollercoaster ride whether you want to be there or not. This is not a book you can stand back from and view at a distance; it’s edgy, raw, relentless; with breathtaking pace that drives you headlong into the next situation and the next as the characters experience, learn and grow.
The setting for most of the action, Beaufort, was originally a Crusader castle with fantastic views across the landscape, although the Israeli fort is comprised of concrete bunkers built next to the remains. There’s a strong sense of place here; a very modern, utilitarian and institutionalised location set atop many hundreds of years of history. The agrarian view hasn’t changed in centuries although now there’s very little time to admire it when constantly scanning for snipers and mortar bomb launches.
Reading this novel I felt like a paternal viewer, watching them all grow into young men, seeing how they dealt with the death of friends and comrades, how they came to realise their experiences and responses couldn’t be explained to their parents and girlfriends back home, their casual despite for the pencil-pushers and others living life far from the front line. They told me their innermost feelings and fears, how their perceptions were changing, how even their own deaths couldn’t scare them as much as the deaths of others. I watched them grow up. But this isn’t a coming of age story; it’s a narrative of change, of how outside influences work upon you without your awareness to bend your preconceptions through 180 degrees and surprise you with where you end up. It’s also not an anti-war story; it pulls no punches in its graphic descriptions but that’s what it’s like in such a situation. There’s no time to think, just react. It’s not pro-war either; it’s just what happens.
As our friends grow older the harsh reality of politics intrudes upon them more and more. The eventual withdrawal from the fort is an emotional time for all; questions are asked about the futility of the occupation, the waste of young lives, the lack of support from the rest of the country – in a sense very similar to the experiences of Vietnam vets on returning home. These questions aren’t answered, as our young men can’t answer what are to them impossible conundrums. They’re not politicians; they’re soldiers doing a job with no time for confusion and all its attendant frustrations.
Did I enjoy reading this? Yes, although I didn’t think I would to start with but soon changed my mind. It’s very powerful, a real page turner, to use a well-worn cliché. I loved its freshness, the fast-paced, breathless approach, the feeling you’re listening in on a stream of consciousness; nothing left out, nothing carefully composed and edited. Enjoyed it? I loved it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beaufort-Ron-Leshem/dp/1846551307
The book chronicles the high points and low points of life for an Israel Defence Force unit over several years, stationed at the Beaufort Castle outpost during the South Lebanon conflict. The narrative viewpoint is from the unit’s commander who oversaw the eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the outpost.
It is a work of fiction, based loosely on true events. But to say it’s fiction misses the point of what this book says to me. A group of boys in their late teens or early twenties, thrown together and injected into a world where life pendulums between the tedium of kitchen duty and the nerve-racking excitement of combat, they collectively experience the whole range of human emotions and drag you along for that rollercoaster ride whether you want to be there or not. This is not a book you can stand back from and view at a distance; it’s edgy, raw, relentless; with breathtaking pace that drives you headlong into the next situation and the next as the characters experience, learn and grow.
The setting for most of the action, Beaufort, was originally a Crusader castle with fantastic views across the landscape, although the Israeli fort is comprised of concrete bunkers built next to the remains. There’s a strong sense of place here; a very modern, utilitarian and institutionalised location set atop many hundreds of years of history. The agrarian view hasn’t changed in centuries although now there’s very little time to admire it when constantly scanning for snipers and mortar bomb launches.
Reading this novel I felt like a paternal viewer, watching them all grow into young men, seeing how they dealt with the death of friends and comrades, how they came to realise their experiences and responses couldn’t be explained to their parents and girlfriends back home, their casual despite for the pencil-pushers and others living life far from the front line. They told me their innermost feelings and fears, how their perceptions were changing, how even their own deaths couldn’t scare them as much as the deaths of others. I watched them grow up. But this isn’t a coming of age story; it’s a narrative of change, of how outside influences work upon you without your awareness to bend your preconceptions through 180 degrees and surprise you with where you end up. It’s also not an anti-war story; it pulls no punches in its graphic descriptions but that’s what it’s like in such a situation. There’s no time to think, just react. It’s not pro-war either; it’s just what happens.
As our friends grow older the harsh reality of politics intrudes upon them more and more. The eventual withdrawal from the fort is an emotional time for all; questions are asked about the futility of the occupation, the waste of young lives, the lack of support from the rest of the country – in a sense very similar to the experiences of Vietnam vets on returning home. These questions aren’t answered, as our young men can’t answer what are to them impossible conundrums. They’re not politicians; they’re soldiers doing a job with no time for confusion and all its attendant frustrations.
Did I enjoy reading this? Yes, although I didn’t think I would to start with but soon changed my mind. It’s very powerful, a real page turner, to use a well-worn cliché. I loved its freshness, the fast-paced, breathless approach, the feeling you’re listening in on a stream of consciousness; nothing left out, nothing carefully composed and edited. Enjoyed it? I loved it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beaufort-Ron-Leshem/dp/1846551307