Soldiers in trauma and nurse in love

Tulip Chowdhury enjoys stories in a story

Soldiers sacrifice their lives for their countries when called to duty. And there are soldiers who cannot take the trauma of witnessing the death and destruction of war even long after the war is over. In Australia, such soldiers were sent to Base Fifteen, in Sister Honour Langtry's care. To the battle-broken soldiers Sister Langtry was all they had. The selfless devotion of the beautiful nurse calmed the seething hostilities of the soldiers. An Indecent Obsession is woven around the war torn soldiers. The devoted Sister Langtry and their life in the army hospital is a moving saga of conflict between love and duty. Colleen McCullough comes up with a gripping psychological drama that raises endless questions of love and sacrifice. Ward-X of Base Fifteen holds emotionally disturbed Australian soldiers during World War II. Sister Langtry's work in Ward-X goes on smoothly until Sergeant Michael Wilson is admitted into it. There is something different about him that makes him stand out from the rest of her patients. To Neal, Nugget, Benedict and Luce she is "Sis" and they treat her as nothing less. But when Michael too starts to call her Sis, she feels as if he does so without his heart in it, as if he is not meant to call her that. He just does not fit into Ward X. It seems to Sister Langtry that he is hiding something. The calm days that Sister Langtry enjoys are left behind and she finds herself waiting for the day when her patients can be sent home. Sister Langtry spends busy days dealing with six of her patients. There is Luce, the overconfident man who always imagines himself as her hero and is constantly telling her that she is missing something by not giving herself to him. There is Nugget, the hypochondriac whom she gives vitamins, telling him that they are remedies for his constant ailments. And there are Benedict and Matt, disturbed and fidgety, needing counseling constantly. And there is Neil who has come to her deeply affected by the violence of war. Sister Langtry is firm about not letting down her professional guard and yet Neil is often in her thoughts. When Sergeant Wilson comes she finds herself in a new awakening of her soul. His manly appearance, his rugged looks catch her unawares. She has thought that years of loneliness, a life without closeness with any man will wash away all romantic feelings and lust. And yet there she is entertaining the very thoughts that she had thought were non-existent in her. The woman in her is aroused once more. With the arrival of Sergeant Wilson in Ward-X the other occupants are also taken by surprise at his calmness. When the war is ravaging people how could it have made Wilson all the more indifferent? And indeed why is he in Ward-X? In the meantime Luce commits suicide. Hands seem to point to Sergeant Wilson, for he is the last person to be involved with the dead man prior to the latter's taking his own life. However. there is an inquiry to establish the truth behind the suicide. An Indecent Obsession is a book with a deep outlook on life as it is found in army field hospitals. There is the drama between the doctors and the nurses, the superiors and the subordinates. And the lives of the patients hold unique everyday stories that are sometimes hilarious. With unique mastery of words the writer weaves the life stories of six troubled soldiers and their nurse. The unforgettable cast of characters seems to be very much alive. The tale is passionate, witty and so believable and strong that the presence of the characters lingers even long after the novel ends. The reader feels transformed after reading the saga of the war-torn soldiers. Nothing to read in the warm sunshine of the coming winter days? Grab this book; let it fill your days with sunshine of a different kind, the kind that illuminates your heart.
Tulip Chowdhury is a teacher and writer.