The Bench: A World War 1 Novel

by Tim Noakes

During World War I, Clara Preston journeys to the Western Front as a nurse to discover why her fiancé, along with so many others, eagerly joined the British army in the opening months of the war. While working at a medical relief station, Clara meets a Belgian soldier, Gabriel, and convinces him to write letters to her about the reality of the Western Front. Bypassing the censors, his letters depict the harsh brutality of war. Meanwhile, Gabriel’s brother, Max, begins a correspondence with Isabelle, a young American college student. Unwittingly, these brothers shed light upon the disturbing truth of the battlegrounds of Belgium and Northern France. From these letters of correspondence, Clara and Isabelle must face the consequences of a new world of turmoil and pain, and while both are not directly a part of the fighting, their new-found knowledge threatens their relationship with family and friends. "The Bench" is a story of perseverance and fortitude, not only by the soldiers who fight in the trenches, but also by the women who come to love the soldiers in their sacrifice.

285 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2025

About the author

Timothy David Noakes is a South African professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town. He has run more than 70 marathons and ultramarathons, and is the author of the running book Lore of Running.