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Books for Keeps September 2010
Burning MountainBurning Mountain takes its name from mons igneus, the Latin for “volcano”, reflecting the central presence of Mount Vesuvius in the novel’s themes. The brief opening chapter plunges us into Pompeii in the midst of Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 A.D. The Roman soldier at the centre of this scene reappears as a ghost in subsequent chapters, which are set in the shadow of Vesuvius during the battle to take Monte Cassino in 1944. While the bombardment continues, the explosions, rending earth and impenetrable dust are intensified as Vesuvius erupts once more. These two stories take place within a framework set in the England of 2010 involving two teenage children, Denise and Craig, whose soldier-father was killed in the Gulf War and whose older brother, Richard, is currently serving in Afghanistan. Gradually, their dysfunctional family-life is mitigated through contact with the elderly and eccentric couple living next door, who have a link with the events in Italy in 1944.
The protagonist of the 1944 story is a young German paratrooper and Classics enthusiast who develops a friendship with an Italian girl descended from the Roman aristocracy but now living as a thief and beggar in occupied Naples. There is a close similarity between this paratrooper and Richard, a boldness which appeals directly to young Craig. But the paratrooper’s blind and terrified stumbling through the smoke and ashes of Vesuvius and Cassino suggests to him a journey across the River Styx. The frontier between life and death is a major theme of the book, which repeatedly considers “the one second (which it takes) to change from alive to dead”.
Adlington has written a powerful and complex book in which historical research enlivens the events described, while also contributing to the creation of a retrospective historical context. The connections made between the present day and the recent past are poignant and moving, not least because the generation that entered adulthood during the war is now over 80. Some may feel that the reiteration of the theme of dying (coupled with some horrific descriptions of the dead) is difficult for a teenage readership, and the book does require a high level of maturity to be properly appreciated. Overall, however, this is an imaginative and thought-provoking work, combining an appreciation of history with sophisticated metaphysical themes. RT
War story… Love story… Ghost story…
Craig and Denise Cooper would like life to be simple.
They know that the past is dead and done with. That war only happens to other people in far off places.
Right?
But with a big brother serving in a wild part of Afghanistan and an eccentric neighbour serving tea in a kitchen that also boasts a skull and eight shiny bullets, Craig and Denise are about to find out that life can explode when you least expect it…
| Burning Mountain Q & A > |
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< Burning Mountain Q & A |
Burning Mountain Q & A
Where did you get your first idea for Burning Mountain?
I first saw an image of a soldier sitting on the slopes of Mt Vesuvius as it erupted, with his head in his hands. I knew there was a story in this. Something jiggled in my memory… a series of photos I’d seen of the volcano’s last eruption. It was in 1944, right in the middle of the war. From then on I was hooked.
Did you have to do lots of research?
I did too much. The hardest part was getting it into my thick head that the story had to shine above all the historical details. This said, I think my two weeks in Italy were absolutely essential to give a convincing feel to the book. I explored Roman ruins, talked with veterans, walked battlefields and visited the monastery at Monte Cassino. I met the little dog ‘Nit’ featured in Burning Mountain… he stole my socks!
Have you been to Vesuvius?
Oh yes! I’ve been fascinated by Vesuvius ever since my Latin teacher, Mr Plumpton, told the class about the eruption in AD79, and the eerie preservation of Pompeii and Herculaneum. I climbed the summit of Vesuvius and toured the crater with a fascinating geologist called Rafael. He was passionate about rocks, which just goes to show that even apparently dull things can be exciting. I brought home a few samples, which I bring along when I do book talks.
There’s an amazing view of Naples and the bay of Naples from the summit of Vesuvius. It is only dormant, or course – sleeping. A new eruption could be as relatively harmless as the one in 1944… or as devastating as the one in AD79.Is it hard to write about war if you’ve never been in one?
In a word, yes.
I’ve seen debates online about who ‘can’ and ‘can’t’ write about war.
The closest I’ve come to combat is firing an SLR at a paper target on a firing range. That’s about as close as I want to get.
It doesn’t mean I can’t use my research skills, my imagination and my common humanity to create characters who experience something outside my own life experiences. That’s what being a fiction writer is all about.
War affects us all, whether we fight in one, or support one, or suffer one, or silently let one happen without caring. We’re all ‘eligible’ to discuss these issues.How can I find out what’s true and what’s made up in Burning Mountain?
Write and ask me! I’ll post the answers on my blog.
Inside information >
< Inside information
Burning Mountain is a fictional story. Much of it is also true.
What amazed me about writing this story is how little I had to make up. Every time I wondered if I was stretching credibility too far, new facts and fables came to light, showing my imagination wasn’t running wild after all.
Paratroopers, pickpockets, hallucinations, hell-in-paradise – the real stories of wartime Italy are remarkable and moving, as are reports constantly emerging from war zones around the world now.
You can find out more about how I came to write the book if you read the 'Q & A' section on this page.
If you’d like to find out more about some of the places, people and events in Burning Mountain here are some sources:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Monte_Cassino - for an overview of the battles around Cassino
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/categories/c55229/index.shtml - Veterans recount their experiences of Monte Cassino
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/ - if you’d like to know more about supporting veterans from modern wars.
Bodies from the Ash – Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii, by James M. Deem. An easy-to-read account of the discover of human remains in Pompeii and Herculaneum, with some very eerie pictures.
Fallschirmjäger, German Paratrooper 1935-45, by Bruce Quarries and Velimir Vuksic. For all you military buffs who’d like to see what Peter Schäfer wore and which weapons he carried.
The Secrets of Vesuvius, by Sara C. Bisel… otherwise known as "The Bone Lady". She helped excavate the skeletons at Herculaneum, including the Roman Soldier on the beach. The book gives lots of details about the ruined town It also recreates imaginative stories about the human remains. There are lots of photos and illustrations. You might be able to find the book second-hand now it’s out of print.
Pompeii: The Vanished City, a Time/Life book. This one’s an old book too but it’s where I first read about the skeleton of the soldier I’ve named Gaius Justinius Aquila and his pouch of gold coins.
Cassino, by Ian Blackwell, for the Battleground Europe series. A detailed look at this part of the Italian Campaign, with a good selection of photographs.
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