John Knowles’ A Separate Peace, as a whole, was what I’d call a decent novel.  It was neither completely riveting, nor was is a total bore.  My main  concern throughout the whole novel, though, was not what Knowles intended.  While I felt that Knowles’ plan was for readers to reflect on the effects that WWII had on the youth of the era and how their psyche was affected, I found myself more interested in what Finny would do next to cause Gene frustration and whether or not the boys had a slight romance, which was pretty much what the rest of the class was thinking, too.

Although the novel did turn out to be a good read, I feel as though it should have ended in a different way.  While I feel that the abruptness of Finny’s death was both necessary and well placed, Gene should have had some sort of reaction to it.  Gene simply standing there, no tears, no emotions, no nothing, lacks conviction.  Finny was Gene’s best friend. If BreAnna randomly died as the result of a freak accident that I caused, I certainly wouldn’t just stand there.  I’d at least shed a tear.  Maybe that’s just me.

I do, however, think that Knowles did an outstanding job in indirectly and discreetly characterizing Gene and Finny’s relationship, regardless of whether it was platonic or not.  The dynamic that the boys shared was that of a pair of siblings: caring and concerned, yet questioning and sometimes a little critical.  The fact that the boys gave off a certain vibe is irrelevant to the fact that they were closely bonded, although I do believe that the intimacy of their relationship caused gene to go insane.

Overall, this is definitely a book that I would recommend, though most likely only to fans of things such as The Dead Poet’s Society or The House Of Annubis, as they are thought-provoking dramas that take place at private schools. This book comes recommended by myself and I’m sure the rest of the class feels the same way about referring it to others.