Short Synopsis
A passionate and beautifully written tale of personal loss in the midst of war in late 1950s Cyprus, Small Wars raises important questions that are just as relevant today.

Full Synopsis
Fresh off her triumphantly assured debut novel The Outcast, award-winning author Sadie Jones has again delivered a quiet masterpiece in Small Wars. Set on the colonial, war-torn island of Cyprus in 1956, Jones tells the story of a young solider, Hal Treherne, and the effects of this "small war" on him, his wife, Clara, and their family. Reminiscent of classic tales of love and war such as The English Patient and Atonement, Jones's gripping novel also calls to mind the master works of Virginia Woolf and their portrayal of the quiet desperation of a marriage in crisis. Small Wars is at once a deeply emotional, meticulously researched work of historical fiction and a profound meditation on war-time atrocities committed both on and off the battlefield.

"This moving novel...[demonstrates] how violence, loneliness and mistrust can dismantle a loving relationship." ---Dallas Morning News

"The narrative is excruciatingly tense and also graced with real emotion.... It's the perfect mix of poignant and harrowing." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Stunning.... This is historical fiction at its best." ---Library Journal Starred Review

"Stephen Hoye's measured and restrained narration is perfect for this bleak novel.... This multilayered story and performance will continue to resonate with listeners long after it's over." ---AudioFile

"A darkly compelling account of honor and disillusionment with contemporary resonance." ---Kirkus

"It's a timely novel, as well as a harrowing one." ---The Christian Science Monitor

"A thought-provoking meditation that powerfully evokes both the costs of waging war and the loving bonds of marriage." ---Booklist

"Her storytelling style, with its combination of purity and harshness, can provoke feelings of clenched excruciation in even the most unflinching readers." ---The Washington Post

"In what reads as a quiet, calm work, [Jones] captures the essence of dehumanized warfare and renders inescapable parallels in a more modern world." ---Denver Post

"A perfect narrator.... And a fine story, carefully hewn and beautifully narrated." ---Publishers Weekly Audio Review

Publishers Weekly Review

Library Journal Review