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Lethargica
1917. In the French trench-lines of the Western Front, an American volunteer lives from letter to letter, as high explosive shells rain down and poison gas permeates the air. His wife’s words are the only link to a world that is still clean and bright, a world unlike the one which surrounds him; mud, barbed wire, shell fragments and decaying men, some dead, some still alive. And then, one day, her letters stop coming. To what lengths will a man go to save the only thing truly worth fighting for? Or is it already too late? Based on terrible events that were all too real, this story will reveal hidden truths to shed light on one of the little-known tragedies of a decade that decimated a generation of the world’s youth. Please note that this is a work of short fiction, which has been submitted to the Kindle Singles program. This edition is 7700 words long, and contains author’s notes that explain the inspiration for this story and the facts that it is based on.
- GenresWorld War I
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2012
2 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Edward H. Carpenter
9 books160 followersEdward H. Carpenter is an award-winning author who spent 29 years as a U.S. Marine, serving in conflict zones worldwide before being seconded to the United Nations as a peacekeeper in South Sudan. His firsthand experiences with the dysfunction of military interventions and international peacekeeping led him to question the very institutions designed to protect civilians.
After retiring, he earned a Creative Writing degree from Harvard and a Philosophy degree from the University of Melbourne, using his literary talents to challenge conventional narratives about war and peace. Now based in Australia, Carpenter is a full-time writer and activist dedicated to building a world without war.
In his non-fiction, including Blue Helmet, he critiques the failures of international diplomacy and military-led peacekeeping while offering tangible solutions for reform. His essays and analysis have appeared in The Washington Post, World Politics Review, and War on the Rocks, while his fiction delves into the human cost of conflict.
When he's not writing, he enjoys SCUBA diving, snowboarding, and developing a sustainable farm in southeastern Australia with his wife.
After retiring, he earned a Creative Writing degree from Harvard and a Philosophy degree from the University of Melbourne, using his literary talents to challenge conventional narratives about war and peace. Now based in Australia, Carpenter is a full-time writer and activist dedicated to building a world without war.
In his non-fiction, including Blue Helmet, he critiques the failures of international diplomacy and military-led peacekeeping while offering tangible solutions for reform. His essays and analysis have appeared in The Washington Post, World Politics Review, and War on the Rocks, while his fiction delves into the human cost of conflict.
When he's not writing, he enjoys SCUBA diving, snowboarding, and developing a sustainable farm in southeastern Australia with his wife.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 18, 2012
As I read this I was reminded of two things - the track 'Forever Autumn' from the symphonic version of War of the Worlds, and my secondary school history lessons. The former because there exists a certain poignancy in this short piece that hits the heart strings as did the track, and the latter because it reminded me of learning about this war as a child... its visceral, hopeless nature.
Carpenter's skilful prose proves his ability to deal with what was a very real disease in a very human way. His characters are both flawed and yearning and we feel for them as the piece unfolds. He has done a great justice to those unsung heroes of that "Great" war in handling the content with solemnity and respect.
It is rare to find a short piece that manages to conjure so many emotions while reading. Thank you author.
Carpenter's skilful prose proves his ability to deal with what was a very real disease in a very human way. His characters are both flawed and yearning and we feel for them as the piece unfolds. He has done a great justice to those unsung heroes of that "Great" war in handling the content with solemnity and respect.
It is rare to find a short piece that manages to conjure so many emotions while reading. Thank you author.
June 14, 2012
I enjoyed the story. When I signed up to read and review this story, I did not know that the story was based on a real disease.
The story begins with a soldier determined to make it home to the wife he loves only to find out its too late. She's struck with a disease that causes her to be in a coma-like state. He tells of his plan of escape and when sees her at last. Its bittersweet because he sees her but she can't express her joy. The second part of the story is told from her point of view. She describes what its like to be trapped in your body, only able to shed tears. It ends on a sad note. Then again, if it were a happy ending, I would not have been satisfied with the story.
The story begins with a soldier determined to make it home to the wife he loves only to find out its too late. She's struck with a disease that causes her to be in a coma-like state. He tells of his plan of escape and when sees her at last. Its bittersweet because he sees her but she can't express her joy. The second part of the story is told from her point of view. She describes what its like to be trapped in your body, only able to shed tears. It ends on a sad note. Then again, if it were a happy ending, I would not have been satisfied with the story.
June 16, 2012
This is a short story of an ordinary man with a loving wife and a comfortable life and social status. While serving as a volunteer in France in WWI, his wife's letters are all that keep him going in a gray world which bears no relation to his own. Then one day the letters stop coming. Knowing his request to return home would be denied, he takes matters into his own hands to find out what has happened and why she has stopped writing. But when he arrives home, he is not prepared for what he finds.
This story of love and war and tragedy had me hooked in from the very first line. The imagery is amazing putting the reader right in the scene with the main character. The author clearly has an appreciation of language and has taken great care to choose his words making this story a pleasure to read. I love the use of repetition, giving the reader the impression of being caught up in the thoughts of this desperate man.
It is not at all predictable. When he first arrives home to find her gone, we are led to believe she has left him, which seems to be confirmed when he goes to see her and speaks to the new 'executor of her every want' , having an awkward, but civilized conversation.
Once we see the situation from her own point of view, it becomes clear that while they both want the same things, to be together again, there is little chance of them reuniting. Their life has changed and will never be the same again.
I shed a tear when he said goodbye. I desperately wanted him to hold on a little longer in case she somehow pulled through. To have the reader so involved after so few words is impressive.
This story was moving, emotional and tragic. I loved it and will recommend it many times over.
This story of love and war and tragedy had me hooked in from the very first line. The imagery is amazing putting the reader right in the scene with the main character. The author clearly has an appreciation of language and has taken great care to choose his words making this story a pleasure to read. I love the use of repetition, giving the reader the impression of being caught up in the thoughts of this desperate man.
It is not at all predictable. When he first arrives home to find her gone, we are led to believe she has left him, which seems to be confirmed when he goes to see her and speaks to the new 'executor of her every want' , having an awkward, but civilized conversation.
Once we see the situation from her own point of view, it becomes clear that while they both want the same things, to be together again, there is little chance of them reuniting. Their life has changed and will never be the same again.
I shed a tear when he said goodbye. I desperately wanted him to hold on a little longer in case she somehow pulled through. To have the reader so involved after so few words is impressive.
This story was moving, emotional and tragic. I loved it and will recommend it many times over.
June 6, 2012
Oh my… when I signed up to read and review this story I did not realize that part of it actually happened. The story was lovely and sad. Not all stories end in a happy ending and I was glad to have read it. I felt sad for the soldier that went threw all planning and suffering in order to get back to his wife whom he loved dearly. The story is very short with only ten or so pages, but it is very powerful. I normally do not read war stories but this story will have me looking into others similar to Mr. Carpenters story telling. Bravo Mr. Carpenters, your story will be stored and remembered in my heart as one of a handful of very meaningful love stories. I recommend it to everyone. To think that Encephalitis Lethargica actually happened and was forgotten due to other devastating event is tragic and for those that passed and their families sat and waited for medical explanation and never receiving one is very sad.
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June 19, 2012
This is a tale of a soldier and his beloved. Both are separated by time and distance of war. Both eagerly awaiting each other's return. The soldier is plagued by what he has done as a soldier. His beloved is locked away within herself and cannot escape except in dreams and memories that they both share. Then the soldier is at his beloved's side telling stories so that she knows he is there for her waiting. His beloved tries to wake herself yet cannot reach a state of wakefulness. The doctor tells the soldier there is nothing he can do for the soldier's beloved and grudgingly the soldier understands. Soldier continues to talk to his beloved and yet feels lonely without his beloved. What will the soldier do? What will his beloved do? Is the doctor wrong about the soldier's beloved? Your answers await in Lethargica.
August 1, 2012
This is a short story by Edward Carpenter about a soldier during WW1 and his wife back home. There are no names, no descriptions of what these people look like, they are anonymous. The first half is told by the husband, it's as if you are in his head looking out through his eyes. You see what he has to endure, you feel his pain and longing to go home and be with his wife. His confusion when he gets home and finds out where his wife has gone.
The second half is told by the wife. Inside her head, her own private hell as she has been stricken with something so horrible the doctors don't know what to do.
It amazes me how Mr. Carpenter is able to draw so many emotions out of his readers in such a short time. This is a very touching and moving story.
The second half is told by the wife. Inside her head, her own private hell as she has been stricken with something so horrible the doctors don't know what to do.
It amazes me how Mr. Carpenter is able to draw so many emotions out of his readers in such a short time. This is a very touching and moving story.
May 12, 2012
Lethargica is a touching tale, written in Edward Carpenters unique voice. It has very poetic prose with a wide variety of adjectives and metaphors that build the mood of the piece perfectly. The descriptions of the husbands time spent in the trenches was very realistic and brought home just what the soldiers had to endure during that war and how dreadful the conditions were.
Personally I had mixed feelings about the wife and her sincerity, my mind was made up and I was unable to change the view I had of her regardless of where the story took us. There were some very moving scenes in this book and it has left me with much to think about.
Copy supplied for review.
Personally I had mixed feelings about the wife and her sincerity, my mind was made up and I was unable to change the view I had of her regardless of where the story took us. There were some very moving scenes in this book and it has left me with much to think about.
Copy supplied for review.
July 27, 2012
What an amazing and tragic story! Based on a little-known and, still as of yet, unsolved medical mystery (encephalitis lethargica), the author has imagined a remarkable and horrifying case of what might have been.
Set in the U.S. and France three years into the First World War, the United States has just entered into the action in Europe. We learn of an unnamed American soldier in the trenches distraught over the sudden cessation of letters from the woman he loves and left back home.
Written with incredible vividness, the reader can feel, hear, and smell the battle and, later, the hospital.
This short story sent me looking for by this same author.
Set in the U.S. and France three years into the First World War, the United States has just entered into the action in Europe. We learn of an unnamed American soldier in the trenches distraught over the sudden cessation of letters from the woman he loves and left back home.
Written with incredible vividness, the reader can feel, hear, and smell the battle and, later, the hospital.
This short story sent me looking for by this same author.
May 14, 2012
This a short story that packed quite an emotional punch for its size. Both of the lead characters were well developed and had a believable emotional connection between them. This was a griping read that took unexpected turns. It was well paced, and there wasn't a moment were I felt like putting it down. I'm really glad I read it.
If you enjoyed authors like Joe R. Lansdale (The Stars are Falling) or Tim O'Brien (The Things They Carried) then I would highly recommend checking out Lethargica.
If you enjoyed authors like Joe R. Lansdale (The Stars are Falling) or Tim O'Brien (The Things They Carried) then I would highly recommend checking out Lethargica.
January 25, 2016
Lethargica is an excellent and well-written short story set during World War One. The story is told from the perspective of a soldier; you never learn his name and in fact, apart from a doctor and maybe a couple more characters, nobody is really named. The story awesomely depicts the drudgery of warfare; the long lulls between battles, the pointlessness of war.
The main character is an American who volunteered to join the war leaving behind the woman he loves. As I just mentioned, the book describes the drudgery of war very well, the soldier who signed up because he believed in the cause, and the woman he left behind. As the story progresses, the soldier wonders why his love has stopped writing and he decides to enact a plan that will ensure that he will be sent home.
Once he is home he discovers that his love is bedridden and unresponsive. The story then takes a turn and describes a disease that had afflicted many people. This story was very surprising and sad - I had no idea that this had even happened or had heard of encephalitis lethargica.
The main character is an American who volunteered to join the war leaving behind the woman he loves. As I just mentioned, the book describes the drudgery of war very well, the soldier who signed up because he believed in the cause, and the woman he left behind. As the story progresses, the soldier wonders why his love has stopped writing and he decides to enact a plan that will ensure that he will be sent home.
Once he is home he discovers that his love is bedridden and unresponsive. The story then takes a turn and describes a disease that had afflicted many people. This story was very surprising and sad - I had no idea that this had even happened or had heard of encephalitis lethargica.
April 4, 2013
When I started reading this book, I had no idea that encephalitis lethargica was a real condition. I thought this story was just 100% fiction. This disease claimed many lives during WWI but was over shadowed by war death and the Spanish flu.
This disease sounds like the paralysis a person in surgery could wake up in: the brain is awake, the senses are awake but the body can not move. Scary.
But this short story is about a volunteer soldier and the woman he loves that he left behind. By the time he is released from service, he finds his love in the hospital with this disease. He loves her, she loves him and can feel his touches and hear his voice, but cant respond. She eventually passes.
This disease sounds like the paralysis a person in surgery could wake up in: the brain is awake, the senses are awake but the body can not move. Scary.
But this short story is about a volunteer soldier and the woman he loves that he left behind. By the time he is released from service, he finds his love in the hospital with this disease. He loves her, she loves him and can feel his touches and hear his voice, but cant respond. She eventually passes.
July 18, 2012
This was a beautifully written, very moving short story! I never knew about this horrible thing that claimed so many...but it moved me to look into it!
The love these two have for each other is so wonderful, but the torture they are forced to endure is almost overwhelming.... but it’s so well done you can't help but be happy you read it!!
The love these two have for each other is so wonderful, but the torture they are forced to endure is almost overwhelming.... but it’s so well done you can't help but be happy you read it!!
August 27, 2014
This is such a bittersweet story, and I thought that it was very well done. I liked the romantic aspects of the story just as much as I did behind the science and medical parts of it. It tugged at my heartstrings quite a bit, especially at the end. I am familiar with some of the author's other works, and I definitely was not disappointed with this one at all.
June 4, 2012
I wouldnt say i enjoyed this story, but it was well written and different; the story is sad so enjoying is hard. It was a short read and an interesting read as well. I probably will never read it again but i will be looking for some of the authors other works.
June 11, 2012
Very sad. Great story, but tragic.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews