I recently finished “Forest of the Hanged,” a book included on Boxall’s “1001 Books you Must Read Before You Die.”
Stylistically, I found the book modern. It reads like a blend between “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “Catch-22” but it’s artful psychological arc really sets it apart.
The story centers around Apostol Bologa, a lieutenant in the Austro-Hungarian army, who eventually is forced to choose whether or not to fight against his fellow countrymen as World War I engulfs his Romanian homeland.
His journey from certainty in the righteousness of his cause, swings 180 degrees throughout the course of the book, embodied by his decision early on to hang a deserter and eventually <SPOILER ALERT> …
desert and accept the noose himself.
Eric Frankl.in 