Where Soldiers Lie
In this coming-of-age novel set during the Mutiny of 1857, John Wilson gives the reader an unblinking look at a very bloody period in the history of British India.
Jack O’Hara, son of a British father and an Indian mother, tries to fit into the rule-driven world of his English relatives even as he is attracted to Indian culture. He has friends on both sides. When Indian sepoys threaten to mutiny, the entire British community of Cawnpore is summoned to the military barracks where they can be better protected. There, they suffer a three-week siege, their fort barraged with musket fire and cannonballs, as their food, medicine, and hope run low. Jack, despite his age, learns to be a soldier. But the situation seems hopeless; hundreds of people die while waiting in vain for reinforcements. When the rebel commander finally offers safe passage, the survivors have no choice but to accept it. But they are deceived: A terrible massacre follows. Jack survives only through the intervention of an old friend.
Young readers be warned: The novel is full of gruesome deaths and reveals the darker side of human nature. Readers of a stronger constitution, however, will thrill to this gritty, fast-paced, and well-constructed story.