The Wooden King

McConnell’s debut novel (following the story collection A Picture Book of Hell and Other Landscapes) highlights the dramatic and complicated choices a Czechoslovakian man makes after the Germans invade Czechoslovakia during World War II. Viktor Trn is a former university professor living in a small apartment with his father-in-law, Miroslav; his wife, Alena; and their eight-year-old son, Aleks, trying to make ends meet despite the university closure and loss of his job. As the Germans take over, the family’s relationships become even more strained. Victor suffers intense inner turmoil as he stays in an unhappy marriage to provide stability for his son yet engages in extramarital affairs and chooses not to openly oppose the German occupation due to his pacifist beliefs. Viktor seems to experience shame when his friend Pavel’s wife accuses him of being responsible for Pavel’s arrest and transport to Buchenwald, though he didn’t inform on Pavel; upon Pavel’s return home, he too chastises Viktor for his pacifism and not becoming involved in the resistance. Pavel’s derision and increasing air strikes spur Viktor to abandon his passive and somewhat cowardly attitude and become part of the Czech resistance, enduring a grueling work detail as he prepares his family for the danger of the advancing Russian troops and the possibility of destruction in their wake. McConnell’s first novel is imbued with rich historical detail, believably renders one man’s struggle between pacifism and protecting his family. (May)