"Old Soldiers"
by Robert Penner
Death; life's only certainty. How can we cope with the death of others if our profession calls for us to confront it? How do we face our own mortality at life's end? Old Soldiers, Robert M Penner's debut powerful novel, follows Darren, a medical resident, through the gruelling hours of his internship as he grapples with these issues.
Two patients - old soldiers, one German, one Canadian - confront their own demises, and relive in their minds their wartime experiences. All three find some refuge from the spectre of death, but can Darren's professional distance provide him the same safety that soldiers find by dehumanizing their enemies?
by Robert Penner
Death; life's only certainty. How can we cope with the death of others if our profession calls for us to confront it? How do we face our own mortality at life's end? Old Soldiers, Robert M Penner's debut powerful novel, follows Darren, a medical resident, through the gruelling hours of his internship as he grapples with these issues.
Two patients - old soldiers, one German, one Canadian - confront their own demises, and relive in their minds their wartime experiences. All three find some refuge from the spectre of death, but can Darren's professional distance provide him the same safety that soldiers find by dehumanizing their enemies?