‘A Separate Peace’ by John Knowles

There are those books that, though not overwhelmingly obvious in their brilliance, somehow manage to spark a quiet revolution and garner a cult following all of their own - A Separate Peace is one of those books. First published in 1959, A Separate Peace tells the story of two friends at a New Hampshire boarding school around the time of the Second World War. Gene and Phineas are polar opposites who somehow get on very well; Gene is quiet and studious while Phineas is rather more outgoing and sporty. Though they are very close with one another there is a kind of unspoken rivalry between them, and this rivalry comes to a head one day in an unfortunate incident involving a tree.

A Separate Peace, American author John Knowles' first novel, is not a bad book exactly, but its formidable reputation most certainly outshines the work itself. As far as shorter novels go - A Separate Peace is 204 pages long in relatively large type - this one is well written, quite nicely written in fact, though 'nicely written' doesn't always cut the mustard. The bland-ish prose is partially redeemed, however, by fleeting lashes of genius here and there. Overall, I have a feeling that A Separate Peace is probably better suited to high school reading lists, though it is not without its merits. Just don't bend over backwards to read it; Salinger makes for a far more satisfying alternative.

This piece was originally published on alisonlaurabell.tumblr.com in March 2012.