And I Shall Be Healed

by Julia Lee Dean

"They are ordinary men, Mr Ellis, ordinary men with ordinary vices. They don't become more than men because they may be required to sacrifice their lives for us." And I Shall Be Healed follows the experiences of a young army chaplain 1916-17, both at home in West Sussex and with the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. Haunted by an unhappy upbringing and a mistake for which he cannot forgive himself, he struggles to put the past behind him and support the men he has been called to serve.

234 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2013

About the author

Julia Lee Dean holds a BA (Hons) in English & Italian Literature from the University of Warwick and a Masters degree in the History of Medicine & Science from Birkbeck College, University of London and was a member of the Young Writers’ Programme at the Royal Court Theatre before training as an actress at Rose Bruford College. She has written plays, sketches and monologues which have been performed at festivals in London, Cambridge and Belfast as well as venues in Canada and the US. In 2010 she spent six months as a stand up comic, performing at clubs in London and at the Edinburgh Festival. She has worked in publishing, Advertising Regulation and holds a diploma in Employment Law from the Trade Union Congress (UK) and worked for ten years as a private tutor to school-age children and adults. She moved to Bonn in August 2014 where she works as an English teacher and editor. She is currently working on her second novel.

Reviews

[Ginger Monette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant look at a chaplain who feels compelled to give his best effort to support his fellow man, often requiring great sacrifice of his own comfort. At a casualty clearing station, no one sees the endless hours spent writing to the families of the deceased. He is awarded no medal for staying the night with a man destined to face a firing squad for desertion. He voluntarily seeks transfer to the Front so that those to whom he is called to lead spiritually will see him as one of their own. All the while, his estrangement from loved ones at home keep him disconnected from those who could offer him comfort.

The story is well written and drew me right in. It gives us an authentic glimpse into the kind of unsung hero not uncommon in the trenches of WWI.

[Angela Petch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could have turned into another muddy slice of life from World War I, set as it is against the “harrowed landscape” of the Front. We are also taken to a sleepy, complacent, straitlaced village near Chichester, its inhabitants ignorant of the horrors their men and boys are enduring in the trenches. The hero is Leo Ellis, a young, naïve battalion chaplain serving with the Expeditionary Force in France, escaping from an unhappy childhood shaped by a narcissistic mother…it certainly doesn’t add up to a cosy, light read and it could have developed into misery. BUT the writing is so good, the author fully in control of the nuances thrown up in her book. I liked it a lot.
Yes, it’s a book about war but not completely. It’s a coming-of-age story too. Leo eventually realises he is stronger than he thought, as the battle-weary men he is serving grow to respect him through his acts of bravery. The story also allows us a peek into a way of life one hundred years old and serves as a record of the work of battalion chaplains that we probably never considered: the way they tried to comfort dying men, record last wishes, post letters back to relatives, attempt to raise morale and offer spiritual help in an environment too horrible to contemplate.
The characters are well developed, believable. Crabtree is particularly interesting and, I feel, pivotal to understanding Leo. Once destined for a career in the Church, with his cocky, worldly ways and beautiful singing voice – Crabtree almost represents another side of Leo’s character that could or could not have developed… As the two men lie, badly wounded on the battlefield, waiting for stretcher bearers to rescue them, Crabtree talks through his pain to Leo. “You believe in God but you don’t believe in Man,” he concludes.
We all know now how futile a war this was, but later on, Ellis is warned by his senior, Loveday, to think about his duty of care as he writes letters home to bereaved relatives. “It’s one thing to lose a loved one to war, quite another to be told that loss was a waste.” These observations peppered through the book don’t weigh heavy, as they probably do extracted for a short review like mine. Phrases like “even the blinded will continue to see” and “out here everything that speaks of life should be treasured” (this, on the occasion of a football match which distracts the men for a short while) – sit naturally in Dean’s dialogue. I re-read several of these meditative phrases again and again and stopped to reflect. Dean’s style of language is old-fashioned but perfectly suited to her subject. It reminded me a little of Trollope. Although she has obviously carried out painstaking research, the narrative is not pulled out of shape and I enjoyed this book tremendously. I look forward to more by this talented writer.

[M.T. McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure where I picked up this book, possibly from a conversation on facebook or a tweet but as someone born and bred in Sussex, not so far from Singleton, where the main character of the book hails from, I had to give it a go. I am very glad I did. The minute I started reading I was hooked. Written in the present tense, we follow Leo an army chaplain in the first world war as he finds out who he really is and what the real cause was behind a rift with a friend which has left him bruised and hurt.

It's beautifully written and the fact we follow one person gives it an extra intensity that I really appreciated. It's uplifting, but not schmaltzy and there are some wonderful awkward conversations which are so true and touching that I actually shed a tear at one point. Leo is a lovely chap and many was the time I wished he was real so I could find him and give him a hug.

This is a wonderful, uplifting, sensitive bit of writing; touching, heartfelt, fulfilling. I was completely caught up in the story and I didn't want it to end.

Recommended.

[Reiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an amazing and very emotional book I enjoyed reading a lot. I can't talk about "depth of characters" as others because I don't know these things. For me the characters unfold nicely and good to follow whereby they feel authentic. Dean describes life at the front in so much detail and realistically that one can feel the damp and the cold. The development of the main character from a "lost" vicar to a man of God who finally finds his place in life is a string story line. I really like the book.

[Nadine Keels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multilayered, well thought-out, and beautifully woven. I don't read an abundance of literary fiction, but this novel kept me engrossed from beginning to end--and what an ending.

Reviewed at Online Book Club. I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.

[Rosemary Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in the first person, this an intensely moving and introspective narrative about a WWI chaplain. Leo hails from Singleton in Sussex. The village curate, and she son of an innkeeper and a mother who blames him for what? He suspects for being alive, in place of his dead brother. He escapes to the army following an incident with his Vicar and good friend, Stephen Forrester, the man he credits with his education and entry into the church.
These are the matters from home which lie beneath the surface of Leo's work and remain unresolved. He is reluctant to face them until forced. This is a novel about growth, about finding oneself amidst the horrors of war, about the importance of comradeship, service and sacrifice. It’s about acting selflessly for the good of others and finally finding the true meaning of one's own faith.
This is the kind of novel which lives with you, makes you question. The officers in Leo’s battalion are mostly good men. They offer their cynicism about their superiors’ motives and ability in private as a counterbalance to Leo’s sermons exhorting the men to offer themselves up willingly for the greater good. We learn much about the work of the wartime chaplain throughout the narrative and all ambivalence about Leo’s character we may have at the beginning of the book turns to quiet admiration by the end. This is a man who has grown into a determined and understated hero, loved by his men and officers alike. Do, I agree with the ending? I'm not sure. It may have been better left at the final chapter rather than the epilogue. To make your own mind up, you have to read it. If you want the antithesis of a light read, this is it.
A skilful first novel, beautifully written and executed.

[Derek Nudd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, which follows a military chaplain's path from the unchanging surface of Sussex countryside, through physical and internal conflicts, to the glutinous mud and horror of Passchendale. The author shows real talent for thinking back to a different world with just one tiny slip-up - the protagonist refers to Bailey bridges when they wouldn't be invented for another quarter century. Picky? Moi? That's no reason to dock a star though. This stops at four because there are some novels I'll lose a night's sleep for and this wasn't - quite - one of them.

[CJM · Rating 4 out of 5]

The depth of research is phenomenal and really brings the story to life. I enjoyed reading this and getting an insight into the life of an Army chaplain during the First World War. An absorbing read.