The Mills Kept Grinding by Martin Smallridge is a harrowing depiction of World War II that fleshes out characters in stark detail – both the good and the brutal – in which readers can eerily see themselves on every side of the conflict. By the end, it is hard to imagine such a brutal and sadistic Europe, which acts as a grim recollection of the past, and a reminder of what humans are capable of in the present and future.

Written as a creative literary exploration of the time period, Smallridge weaves family history, personal narrative, and fictional events into one cohesive narrative. The novel is quite long, with extensive footnotes fit for a college textbook at the bottom of almost every page, and while this sometimes goes overboard – such as the manufacturing history and specs of a German tank – the footnotes generally add impressive depth to the story.

Trading storytelling immersion for historical immersion is a risky proposition, but Smallridge carries this off exceptionally well, allowing the book to straddle the line between scholarship and entertainment. With a rich and varied cast of characters, The Mills Kept Grinding reads like a modern epic, dragging the reader through the shrapnel-ridden streets of central Europe without sentimentality, for a thorough examination of a period that has been well-examined, but not usually with so much narrative complexity.