Anglo-Irish ascendancy scion, Alec Moore and stable boy Jerry are childhood friends. They grow up in the local estate where Alec is the son and heir, the offspring of a loveless marriage. Alec and Jerry share a passion for horses. They both join the British Army in 1914, Alec pressured by his beautiful but emotionless mother to fight for King and Country and Jerry to learn to fight for the Irish Nationalist cause.
Miss Johnston balances the hideous mud and blood of Flanders with the beautiful Irish countryside relying on dialogue to describe the tensions between the social classes. The general vision and viewpoint, in particular, the cultural contrast of the time is a major issue in the novel.
'How many miles to Babylon? Four score and ten, sir. Will I get there by candlelight/ Yes and back again,sir.' This nursery rhyme provides the title and the gulf between the leaders and the led.
Alec and Jerry look out for each other much to the chagrin of Major Glendenning who is determined to separate the pair. Jerry's father is posted missing. Jerry is posted missing without leave and condemned to death. Alec is ordered to take charge of the firing squad. The unexpected tragic ending recognises the ugly as well as the beautiful.
More abstracts about the How Many Miles to Babylon