The Daughters of Mars
Don't be fooled by the title of Thomas Keneally's book, The Daughters of Mars. It isn't really a scifi. The "Mars" in the title does not refer to the planet; it refers to the Roman god of war. And the war is World War I.
The story opens in a small town in Australia, home of the Durance family. The daughters, Naomi and Sally, are both registered nurses. Naomi works in Sydney. Sally remains at home, working in the local hospital and caring for her mother who has cervical cancer.
Sally brings home extra quantities of morphine, in fear and anticipation of the ordeal her mother faces, and hides it in the linen closet. A few days after Naomi comes to visit and give Sally a break, Mrs. Durance is found dead. The hidden stash of morphine is gone. Did Naomi find the morphine and euthanize their mother? The girls never discuss it.
When war breaks out, both girls decide to enlist as nurses. Soon they are on a ship headed to Cairo. The girls are assigned to a hospital ship which is headed closer to the battle site. They near the shore of their destination and witness the artillery fire of the battle.
Soon the wounded are brought to the ship, and the nurses all see what horrors war can wreak. And like soldiers, the nurses who share such awful experiences grow to care for one another. Sally and Naomi become closer than ever, although they still never discuss the circumstances of their mother's death.
After weeks of serving on the hospital ship, they are docked and housed in a real hotel for a few days. During that time, their ship is painted black. It no longer is a white hospital ship, but a troop ship. The ship will transport troops to the battle and take on wounded to return to port.
The nurses are given the choice of going with the ship or waiting its return. Of course, the girls opt to stay with the ship so that they can help the wounded. But the ship is torpedoed. Naomi manages to swim to a raft, pulling the grievously injured head nurse Mitchie on board as well. Sally hangs on to the ropes on the side of the raft for many hours, freezing in the water, until finally a French destroyer rescues them.
The nurses move from the Dardanelle region to France at the very edge of the battle zone. Indeed, the girls must learn to run for the safety of trenches when the cities with the hospitals are under fire.
The Aussie nurses endure not only the war itself, but abuse by officers, harassment by the hospital orderlies and even physical attacks by errant soldiers. They rise above their circumstances again and again, serving the wounded soldiers and their country.
Don't miss this book and its many wonderful characters not mentioned here. It's available at your Bella Vista Public Library.
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Santos is a member of the Bella Vista Public Library Foundation, co-chair of the Expansion Fundraising Cabinet and a member of the library's book selection committee.
Community on 03/04/2015