The Whistlers' Room

An " extremely atmospheric and poignant" novel of wounds that never heal and lives forever scarred by World War I ( Books Monthly).   They're called Whistlers—residents of a German hospital who have all been wounded in the throat, and whose every breath is punctuated with a high-pitched whistle.   One young soldier, Pointner, has no hope for recovery. His only solace comes from the British sniper's cap he keeps as a trophy. Fellow casualty Kollin clings to the belief that he will be whole again. When an unlikely comrade joins them in the ward—the Englishman Harry, similarly injured but separated by allegiance—they find themselves bound, beyond the countries and crowns that have forgotten them, not only by their wounds but also by their common humanity.