Private Battles and The Khaki Cage

by Jennie Laine Rylan

Three people from one family; three separate lives touching or colliding, during events that took place in 1993. The father (Jack) writes his memoirs, relating his experiences as a young man during World War Two and his army escapades across Europe. He talks of meeting his future wife; like many young people at that time, they faced an uncertain future and the possibility that his wife would be an early widow. Their son (Douglas) and Douglas’s wife (Naomi) face their own private trauma decades later, in a battle save the life of their unborn child. Their daughter (Jennie) faces her doubts when her world is upended by an unexpected liaison with a married man. Is he telling her the truth, or leading her on? Three ordinary lives bound or broken by the ties of family relationships.

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 13, 2020

Reviews

[Mr Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit like reading three books at the same time. Kept me wanting to know more.

I enjoyed Private Battles and The Khaki Cage. The idea of having three stories intertwined kept me wanting to know what was happening in each story. A bit like reading three books at once holding my interest.

[Sibyl Mory · Rating 5 out of 5]

1993. Douglas is writing a diary to his unborn child. His own dad (Jack) is writing another one. And Jennie, Douglas's sister, a third (dwelling mostly on her relationship with married Anton). Jack is also writing a memoir of his time in WW2, entitled THE KHAKI CAGE. This is particularly riveting, packed with the fascinating but mind-bogglingly mundane and ludicrous routine of being a soldier (such as totally pointless guard duty and such), recorded in compelling and rich detail. I was immediately taken by this, and the languid and sardonic (yet totally self-aware) 'voice' of the narrator. The recording of at times harrowing incidents once he is posted to France in 1944 are equally compelling and effective. These separate familial narratives intertwine smoothly. Life's dilemmas amidst its humdrum normality are explored, whether times of war, the survival or not of an unborn child, or the travails of relationships. An absorbing, and original read.

[Christine Oakey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Private Battles is three autobiographies covering one year in the lives of members of the same family. An easy read which held my interest all the way through, particularly Jennie's affair with a married man and the rollercoaster of emotions she went through. Meanwhile, her brother, Douglas and his wife Naomi, were facing their own private battle to save the life of their unborn child.

Jennie's father Jack's memoirs of his experience of being a young man during World War Two and how he meets his future wife reveal the emotions of a time when nothing was certain.

Three stories which give a fascinating insight into normal lives that are disturbed by dilemma that nobody expected.

[Katherine Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting and unusual memoir-type fly-in-the-wall book, written from four different POV’s. We have a father writing letters to his unborn child, a fascinating romance, an older man’s story, and the most riveting and brilliant account of being a soldier in the Second World War Each story is personal and great for people who like reading about other people’s ordinary lives. The writing is fantastic.

This is a beautifully layered novel exploring the complexities of family, war, love, and life across generations. The book weaves together four deeply personal struggles—Jack’s wartime memories—and then his account as an older man, Douglas and Naomi’s fight for their unborn child, and Jennie’s emotional turmoil—in a way that feels intimate yet relatable. It captures the weight of the past and the impact it has down the family line to the present, showing how history, personal and collective, shapes our choices.

What I loved about this novel is its authenticity. The characters are real and their pain and hopes are written with unflinching honesty. I could so relate to Jennie and some of her dubious choices. Jennie’s storyline adds a contemporary emotional depth that balances well against the time of war and rationing. Jack’s war journal takes the reader into war and horror. The account of his life had me enthralled. It’s told in a matter-of-fact voice but it wasn’t an easy time for thousands of young soldiers. It’s told in glorious brutal detail. While Douglas and Naomi’s modern struggles keep you wondering if the unit will survive. This is a brilliant exploration of how life’s struggles—fought with guns and in the heart—shape who we become. I hung onto every word and highly recommend this book.