The Effects of War

Stories about war have traditionally dealt not only with its destructive traits but also with the way it transforms people, and this novel is no exception. When the horrors of war are visited upon Daisy and her cousins, the first victim is their home life, whose security and joys are destroyed. The teenagers are separated by gender and sent elsewhere. Aunt Penn already has left home to play her role in the antiwar effort, and she never returns. She is the only member of the family to actually die in the war, but all the others are changed forever. The first thing that happens to each of the teenagers is the war thrusts them into situations so challenging and terrible that they are forced to abandon childhood. The well-known saying that war makes children grow up quickly is vividly demonstrated in this novel. Likewise, the...