I have recently read this book in my English lesson for my GCSE coursework. I found that the book has a very strange structure of past tense then present tense which would switch every chapter or so. I found this difficult to follow sometimes however it was not a massive problem. The story is set in Frenchtown, a small town in America and tells the story of young Francis Cassavant as he grows up and the problems he endures and eventually he goes off to fight in France during WW2 and returns disfigured with only one mission on his mind. The story and experiences were fun to read as I enjoy modern history but I would recommend to readers over the age of 15.