''The Sojourn'' is a 2011

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

Andrew Krivak Andrew Krivák is an American novelist. His debut novel, '' The Sojourn'' (2011) was nominated for the National Book Award for Fiction, won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and was well received critically. He also wrote a memoir about his time in ...

which was shortlisted for the

National Book Award for Fiction The National Book Award for Fiction is one of five annual National Book Awards, which recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987 the awards have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation, but ...

. The novel is a Family Saga which deals with American emigrant to

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, Jozef Vinich who gets dragged into

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Multiple reviewers compared the novel favourably to A Farewell to Arms.

Reception

Reception of the novel was overwhelmingly positive. NPR reviewer Alan Cheuse called the novel "splendid", marking surprise that such a short novel can do such a good job examining the experience of the war. ''The Christian Science Monitor'', similarly gave praise to the novel's simple language and compelling story telling, which effectively challenges the glorification of war, creating an "anti-war novel with all the heat of a just-fired artillery gun". Kirkus review noted that the novel is late to the World War I in literature genre, it's "an assured, meditative novel that turns on a forgotten theater in a largely forgotten war."

References

Novels set during World War I 2011 American novels Anti-war novels 2011 debut novels Bellevue Literary Press books {{2010s-WWI-novel-stub