The Chequer Board by Nevil Shute

First published in 1947

John Turner has a health condition that will end his life. How will he spend his last days? Working? Spending time with his wife despite his troubled marriage? It's easy to empathize with Turner as he ponders his options while plugging along. Ultimately, in the limited time that remains before his death, Turner decides to locate and assist three servicemen who befriended him while he was laid up in a hospital during the war.  He feels the need to do something positive with his last months of life and relishes the opportunity to repay the kindnesses they showed him.

Turner's account of the servicemen's stories is enriching and frequently moving. Although Turner's quest leads him to the three men, the story focuses on two of them:  Phillip Morgan, who married a Burmese woman and adapted to her culture; and Dave Lesurier, a black American soldier who was persecuted and unjustly accused of rape by white members of the American military.  Morgan's story gives Shute a chance to compare British and Burmese cultures, philosophies, and political organizations.  While Morgan's story is fascinating, Lesurier's is more powerful.  Some American readers might think Shute went too far in portraying members of the American military as racist (although, to his credit, he introduces an American character who is not) while portraying the white residents of a British village as accepting, and indeed embracing, the wronged soldier.  I thought the story had the ring of truth but I'm not an expert in the racial attitudes that prevailed in small English villages during World War II.

In each of these situations, Shute addresses dynamic issues of culture and bigotry with sensitivity and insight. Unsurprisingly, Turner learns as much about himself as he does about his old friends, ultimately making his journey one of self-discovery. To some extent, the novel is about clearing the path for death.  He returns to his wife a better man than the one who left on his journey..

In prose that is characteristically quiet and graceful, Shute tells an end-of-life story that is sad but uplifting.  The Chequer Board is a very impressive work.

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