Plagued

by Marie Keates

On his return to Southampton, a wounded Great War soldier is plagued by memories as he faces a changed world, dangerous secrets and a mysterious illness that threatens everything he has been fighting for.

In the summer of 1918, a sniper’s bullet ends Thomas’s war and brings him home to Mary, but it is not quite the reprieve either of them imagined. Mary’s happy, joking husband has become a sullen, uncommunicative stranger and she is afraid the man she remembers is gone forever. The world Thomas dreamed of and fought for has moved on without him and, as he struggles with the horrific memories that plague his dreams, he focuses his anger on their annoying widowed neighbour.
Thomas wasn’t the only thing to come back to Southampton on the hospital ship. An invisible enemy stalks the wards of Netley Hospital, a strange flu that soon escapes into the town.

Will Thomas and Mary ever come to terms with the changes the war has brought? Moreover, will the secrets he unearths tear them apart, or will the mysterious plague snatch away their future before they can be revealed?

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2021

About the author

Marie Keates is a writer, blogger and walker, who can’t resist the mystery of an unexplored trail and is mad about history. She lives in Southampton, and has spent much of her life working in the travel industry and writing copy on such diverse subjects as travel, canals, running and coffee. Her interest in Southampton’s history has made her blog, www.iwalkalone.co.uk popular with local history groups, ex-Sotonians and visitors to the city. Her novels, Plagued, Land Fit For Heroes, Seventh Daughter and A Dish Best Served Cold were inspired by research into her family history and stories she heard at her grandfather’s knee.

Reviews

[Darya Silman · Rating 5 out of 5]

#historicalfiction #WW1

Plagued by Marie Keates is a delightful slow-pacing story about Thomas, an English soldier wounded during WW1, his family, friends, and the Spanish flu. As the author writes in the acknowledgment section, the story was inspired by her family's history but overgrew an ordinary biography and became a fictional piece where characters dictated the subsequent plot twists.

Injured Thomas, with only one lung, returned home in 1918. His wife Mary had formed a circle of close relatives and neighbors to do house chores together: Alice, Effie, Hetty, and Vera. A little more prosperous Zillah, an old lady, helped the women. Thomas had difficulties blending in: his dreams were about the war as if he had never left it; he couldn't find an activity that would bring joy. The only bright spots in life were his children, Freda and Eric. Then Freda got seriously ill. And what was annoying, chatty Hetty hiding?

The author describes Thomas's and other soldiers' mental condition in typical PTSD symptoms: uncontrolled anger, disturbed sleep, and episodes of slipping away from reality caused by a noise or a picture. There are no remarkable details in the book, like rich language or full-fleshed characters (Thomas and his friends Joe and Bert look alike), and events do not follow each other in the machine-gun style, fast succession. Rather, love and kindness toward the characters appeal to readers' senses, creating images that are easy to imagine. The story moves forward with two short mysteries. If they were missing, words would carry the readers' interest further; a river that makes a leaf (a reader) go with the flow.

I will only remember details in the short run (heroes' and heroines' names rarely stay in my mind for over a month). Yet, the aftertaste of pure enjoyment from Plagued will surely last.

[Pat Backley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good easy read that I read it in just two sittings. The characters really draw you in and although the war stories are harrowing at times, there is enough other interesting content to stop it from being depressing.
A well researched, well written novel. Now I want to read other titles by this author!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas has spent 4 years fighting on the western front. Mary fought to hold her small family together while worrying over her husband. When Thomas is injured, it is his ticket home, but he can't quite leave the nightmares of the trenches behind and a new foe stalks his loved ones - the 1918 Influenza. Well-researched and beautifully written, this is obviously a labour of love, based as it is on Keates' family history, and it shows in the well developed, sympathetic characters. It is a story of survivors and the little known struggles of those left at home and those who returned, changed irrevocably.

[Will Tinkham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable study in resiliency, Mary Keates' PLAGUED keenly melds the Great War with the coming Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918. Amid it all are real people, lives changing forever, adroitly characterized in the trenches, the hospitals and at home—where gossip, rumor and speculation spice up wash day or a beer at the pub.

From England's “Boys of '14” fighting in France to the “Titanic widows” back home, Keates' rich descriptions and tidy details bring life to an otherwise bleak period in history.

At its end, PLAGUED asks: “...when all the men who'd lived through it were gone, would anyone remember them?” With her debut novel, Keates has masterfully kept their memory alive.

[Bridget Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story remembering The Great War

A lovely family story telling how a young couple were involved in the First World War and the Influenza pandemic of 1918. If you like historical novels with great characters and lots of heart, then this is for you.

[Caroline Rebisz · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. The story follows Tommy who is injured in WW1 and has to adjust to life back home. His wife Mary also has to adjust to having her husband back damaged by what he has seen. I enjoyed the way the book moves from Tommy's story to Mary's across different chapters. The author has researched her history well and brings the time period to life. An emotional and thought provoking read which I would recommend.

[Catherine Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed with WW1 period novel. Alternating between the trenches and Southampton, we follow Thomas and his family as the war is ending and a new plague is gripping the country.
Injured Thomas is sent back to England to a family & a life that has been progressing without him for 4 years. Glad to be home but living with the trauma of war he isn't sure how to fit in to 'normal' life again.
As more wounded return from Europe, they bring with them a strange flu, more virulent than has ever been seem before. The effects of war and sickness on this little community is quite harrowing as no-one remains untouched by it. The character of Hetty interested me and I was happy to see how her storyline progressed.
The novel is well written and eveidenly well researched. I will be reading more from this author.

[C. Paulin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plagued is an immersive work of historical fiction.

Thomas’s fight on the Western Front of World War One ends when he is gravely wounded by a sniper’s round. He returns to England where his wife Mary has held down the fort during his absence, nurturing their family and helping neighbours and friends. But Thomas returns at a time of social strain and transformation, and he brings back with him not only his physical scars but also the haunting memories of the battlefield. And just when Mary and Thomas are struggling to readjust to each other, a new danger stalks England--one that can kill far from the bullets and artillery of trench warfare.

Plagued has one of the best openings I’ve read in recent memory:

If Mary could see him now, stirring his underwear in a bubbling dixie of petrol-tainted water, she’d laugh her head off.

The novel is well-written, and its meticulous detail transports the reader from the muddy trenches of the front to a working-class neighbourhood in Southampton. The book vividly portrays the social inequality between men and women of the time, with the latter battling social stigmatization based on their marital status, to being displaced in their jobs by men returning from the war. But above all, one of Plagued’s strengths is the unforgettable characters: the touching way they look out for one another during the final months of the war, during a period of scarcity and hardship. The scenes range from humorous to beautiful (a young daughter getting to know her father) to heart-wrenching (Dougie and the quagmire). I must admit, I picked up the book because I wanted to read about the war and the Spanish flu epidemic, but I was soon hooked on the other storylines, like the reunion and readjustment of Thomas and Mary, as well as the mystery surrounding Hetty.

Overall, Plagued is a well-paced, engrossing read.

[Terry Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

An emotional family drama about one of the hardest times in the 20th Century, Plagued tells the story of Thomas, a soldier who gets a 'Blighty wound' during his time at the front during the last year of World War I. Having changed in every way from the man who left so joyfully in 1914 - he and his friends thinking that they were setting off on glorious, honourable adventure - he finds integration back into 'normal' life beyond difficult. Like his friends, he doesn't want his wife to know how hellish the war actually was, but at the same time feels alienated because he has been through appalling experiences that he can't talk about.

This is also the story of Thomas's wife Mary and her many friends who face the hardship of civilian life during a war, of fear that their husbands, sons and brothers will not come home, and finally of the Spanish flu that felled so many at that time.

This is a highly readable book and I looked forward to getting back to it each time I put it down. So many aspects of the time are dealt with, and the research is evident without being intrusive. I did have trouble remembering who was who in the large cast of characters - who was married to whom, which children belonged to which mother, but this didn't really matter.

I particularly liked the ending, in 1919, when Thomas and some friends stand by the site of the future cenotaph; it had a sadly poignant ring to it. If you like wartime family dramas, you'll love this.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

PLAGUED was such a great historical fiction novel set at the end of the Great War in the UK, as the Influenza epidemic of 1918 was starting. I loved the way author Marie Keates immersed me in the setting. I couldn’t get enough of her descriptions of Mary and her friends Alice and Hetty back on the homefront, knitting socks for the war effort and baking cakes made with rations—beetroot carrot cake! The descriptions of Thomas fighting in the trenches, from hanging out laundry to the pet rat, were well done too.

When Thomas is wounded, everything changes, and I thought the novel did an excellent job of showing the terrible effects of a war injury during that time period, both physically and mentally. Mary is also having to deal with so much holding down the family at home, and when Thomas comes home, that is even more of an adjustment, which the novel shows well. Just so many things were done so well about this, especially showing how hard things were for women. Hetty was a character I didn’t like at first, but by the end of the novel she really grew on me.

The onset of the flu was depicted as shocking and scary and brought back memories of a few years back with Covid, with characters terrified, trying to disinfect everything. This was an incredibly well done work of historical fiction and I look forward to more by this author! 5/5 stars.

[Catherine Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another powerful novel from Marie Keates.
This is the first in the Between the Wars series, and begins towards the end of WWI with Thomas and his colleagues barely holding their own in horrendous conditions. When Thomas returns to Blighty, he finds that everything has changed and he wonders whether he can adjust to his new life. His children are virtually strangers, and his wife Mary has been coping with hardships of her own, getting by with the help of her friends.
As Thomas deals with disturbing dreams and memories and the couple try to find each other again, a new problem arises; the dreaded Spanish flu, thought to have been brought in with the ships, begins to cause heartache around the town.
This is a moving story, of family and friends, of secrets and lies, triumphs and disasters. Marie Keates brings to life both the conditions of the men fighting for their country and the women’s efforts to keep things going at home while their menfolk are away. An extremely well-researched tale, it not only documents soldiers’ experiences, but also details daily life and political affairs at the time, for example the suffrage movement.
Highly recommended.

[A.B. Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to begin my review by saying, I was already fan of this author and her work before I’d begun ‘Plagued’ and this story did not disappoint.

The book describes Tommy who having been injured in WW1, returns home and struggles to begin his life again at home with his loving wife Mary. Equally, she quickly begins to realise, her husband has been permanently changed by his wartime experiences-almost as if the man she married has not returned to her.

I genuinely appreciated how the story is told from both points of view which is such an effective way of describing their lives. I feel in less expert hands, this approach could become somewhat disjointed but this author knows exactly what they’re doing and you always feel as if you’re in safe hands.

As always, the historical detail is flawless and even if you have no previous knowledge of the era, you’re guided through with great care.

Speaking personally, I found this story one of the more emotional of the series but considering the subject matter, that’s not surprising.

I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending not only this book but all the others in the series.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly engaging read, devouring its 300+ pages in just three days!

A carefully observed social history of life in the trenches and at home in the last few months of the Great War in 1918. I found myself absorbed by the lives of the wounded and demobbed Thomas, his wife Mary, their family, friends and neighbours; portraying that long lost sense of community that once brought the best (and worst) out of us all.

The good thing about setting this story in Southampton is that you lucky readers can get to Google some of the wonderful landmarks that play cameos; such as the Floating Bridge, Netley Military Hospital (all long gone), as well as The Titanic Engineers Memorial and The Cowherds where Meg the horse would stubbornly refuse to move from.

“Plagued” is a powerful novel, demonstrating the pragmatic strength of those at home and at war and the challenges they face with the threat of the flu epidemic.

A great debut novel full of pathos and down to earth characters.

[Sheila Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lovely feel good book. Even though it follows the story of a wounded soldier returning home to a changed way of life, the balance works really well between domestic chores and flashbacks to the trenches. A reminder of difficult times in 1918 Britain and the ending of the war with outbreaks of disease.
Warm, easy reading, the book flows beautifully with wonderful characters. A real historic treat. Highly recommended!

[Vicky Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was good read a book that gave a different perspective to the First World War and was easy to read. I was gripped by the characters lives. There were some heart breaking moments and some which were relevant to us all. I found it really interesting to read the inspiration for it all in the acknowledgements especially as I love family history too. Well worth a read.

[Julie Bihn]

This tangle of bodies with pale faces and grey uniforms spattered with mud and blood were men just like him. They had homes and families: mothers, brothers and perhaps children--people who loved them. What if they all stopped fighting, like they had that first Christmas? Then the generals and the kings would all have to sort it out amongst themselves.

This was a touching, haunting work. Keates' straightforward yet elegant prose made it easy to read, despite the sobering subject matter (World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic, with all the grief that those entail). Characters were drawn with sensitivity. The author blends the everyday, the extraordinary but historical, and the dramatic, to a compelling effect. At one point, there's a twist of reader's expectations so sudden and well executed that it blew me away--one of the most impressive things I've read in recent memory.

As an introvert, I'll admit that I did occasionally get lost at the large cast of characters. I was kind of wondering if they might have their own books that I'd missed, but it appears that they dont, or not yet. (I'd be especially eager to read Hariph and Martha's!) But the large cast helps make the world real, too. Plus, the characters all needed each other to help through the pain and problems of their difficult lives.

Recommended for anyone who likes historical fiction or emotional journeys and is even marginally interested in the subject matter.

[Emma Bloor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fabulous

Gritty, sad, funny, loveable characters. Wholly a fan of Bert - forever! History is alive in my fingers and though a tough topic, the author balances it out which such ease…and humour.

[Louise Jensen Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtful, well written and full of accurate historical details. Highly recommended.