'The Remembered Soldier' by Anjet Daanje
A psychological love story that probes the resilience of identity
What is identity but a frenzied assortment of memories, relationships, and supposed truths we convince ourselves of? Dutch writer Anjet Daanje’s The Remembered Soldier delivers a romantic psychological puzzle that explores the limits of shattered personhood and keeps readers guessing until the final page. After receiving several top literary prizes in her native Netherlands, this is the first of Daanje’s novels to be translated into English. Set in post-war Kortrijk, Belgium, the narrative follows Amand Coppens, an amnesiac World War I veteran on a desperate search for identity.
While living in a psychiatric asylum, Amand is found by a woman named Julienne, who is determined to rehabilitate her missing husband and restore his memory. She brings Amand home, introduces him to their two young children born before his mobilization, and together they begin an arduous journey to rebuild their past life. Like many wounded World War I soldiers, Amand’s fight continues beyond the battlefield as he suffers from post-traumatic retrograde amnesia, erasing nearly all of his memories and triggering macabre nightmares.
Over the next year, Julienne reintroduces Amand to his home, photography shop, and attempts to rekindle their severely disrupted marriage. Unsure whether to faithfully trust her descriptions of his past, but unable to conjure up accounts of his own, Amand struggles to find any ground to stand on: “it surprises him how easily his life can be reshaped into an inspiring story, correct in every factual detail, yet a lie from beginning to end.” Midway through their attempt at a second chance at love, Amand suddenly regresses and begins to adopt the personality and memories of another soldier named Louis. This kicks off a frenzy of conflicting recollections, leading to a furious final chapter that brings closure to an eight-year nightmare that began on the warfront.
At times, Daanje successfully immerses readers in a psychological labyrinth of spurious accounts and shifting perspectives, but large portions of the novel feel narratively jumbled and repetitive. Nearly every argumentative scene includes the recurring statement that they “made love,” as if it's a perfunctory act that follows every traumatic dispute in their relationship. In fact, Amand and Julienne’s dynamic is so one-note and cyclical that even their most heartfelt moments and passionate expressions lose emotional impact.
Offering a steady dose of suspense, The Remembered Soldier succeeds in plot but stumbles in execution. Daanje’s omission of standard punctuation and use of third-person narration tends to drag readers along rather than immerse them in a seamless stream of thought and dialogue. However, patient readers are rewarded with a riveting conclusion that ties together the previously disparate threads.
Thank you to New Vessel Press for providing the copy for review. You can order a copy here