‘A complex tale of a man’s struggle to rebuild his family life with PTSD and grappling with his religious identity’ - A review of Small Wars in Madrid by Midlands author Anthony Ferner

Small Wars in Madrid follows David Aguilera, a naval officer whose life begins to collapse after the catastrophic loss of the vessel he commanded and a harrowing escape across the Baltics. 

When he returns home to Madrid, he finds himself emotionally shut off and struggling to reconnect with his wife Margalit and their children, leading Margalit to leave with the kids. As David awaits an official inquiry into his conduct, he is forced to face not only his professional trauma but deep personal conflicts about identity, belonging and faith.

To try to salvage his life and relationships, he turns to those closest to him — his friend Marce, his Catholic adoptive mother, his Jewish birth mother, and Margalit herself — in a journey that ultimately prompts him to confront who he really is and what he wants his future to be. 

Kirsty-Louise’s thoughts:

Midland’s author Anthony Ferner’s novel Small Wars in Madrid was nothing short of a masterpiece in my opinion. The story tackled the complexities of a man struggling to cope with PTSD and a journey of self-discovery in terms of his religious heritage. 

David Aguilera seemed to cut himself off from the world at the start - unwilling to try to keep his life together, while being forced to continue to relive the horrors that happened to him after his ship went down. He was reluctant to speak to loved ones and seemed to have a distaste for therapy after one bad experience - something, I think, many men struggle with when it comes to mental health support even in real life. Expected to be strong and steady all the time based solely on their gender.

And while many may seek the solace of religion at times of hardship, he has the added struggle of an identity crisis - being raised Catholic by adoptive parents but born to a Jewish woman and being married to a Jewish woman raising Jewish children. Ferner makes you feel his struggle with finding a place to belong. And while I personally was never raised to have any religious affiliation, I was still able to understand how he might feel - which is a credit to Ferner’s excellent writing. 

5 stars!