A Separate Peace, by John Knowles

This 1959 coming of age story, John Knowles's first novel, is certainly a classic, still read by school kids and adults alike.  Set in the middle of World War 2, on the campus of an elite boy's school in New England.  Knowles attended Phillips Exeter; the novel's Devon School is clearly modeled after his alma mater.  The narrator, Gene, holds his roommate and best friend Phineas, or Finny, in high esteem.  Although Finny's not as good a student as Gene, he has a charisma that wins over his teachers and draws in his peers.  As Gene says, Phineas "almost always moved in groups the size of a hockey team" such was his magnetic attraction. 

Out of his mix of admiration and perhaps jealousy of Finny, Gene makes a poor decision that results in injury to Finny.  A split-second decision, an action thoughtlessly taken, had long-lasting impact.  Gene tries to atone for his actions, and remains a good friend.  Finny presents a model of forgiveness.  I'm not sure I could have been as forgiving, and I am quite confident I would have been wracked with guilt were I Gene.  I thought about stupid moves I've made.  I remember in junior high when I got angry with a friend at P.E. and kicked him hard in his groin.  He writhed in pain and recovered quickly, but what if I had done permanent damage?  What other stupid little acts have I done or had done to me that could have had lasting effects?  Knowles explores those consequences and the impact on Gene and Finny's relationship and their lives.  Again, Finny's ability to forgive and love Gene was remarkable.

In the background of their relationship and other events at school is World War 2, drawing these boys inevitably toward service in the armed forces.  The romanticism of war is shattered by their friend Leper's experiences, yet enlisting is almost expected.  In my lifetime, in which the draft exists only in history books and the ocassional policy debate, and during which wars seem to be fought on smaller scales and with smaller numbers, the inevitability of service has not been in my experience.  It's hard to imagine today that teenagers, especially teenagers in the prep school elite, would have the expectation of military service. 

Knowles's descriptive, almost poetic descriptive passages, and his spot-on portrayal of the mind of teenage young men combine to make A Separate Peace a real pleasure to read.  It deserves a spot on your reading list whether your high school days lie before you or are a dim memory.