Danny Marais is the twin brother of the beautiful, talented Charlie. The Wildest Beauty is a remarkable novel, Dannys account of their childhood . . . up to their eventual enlistment in the First World War. From their placidly peaceful Stellenbosch schooldays to, ultimately, the Battle of Delville Wood, Danny keeps a loving but halfresentful eye on his brother.

The novel is also an intimate account of a small group of friends and family, inter alia the loving parents left behind in Stellenbosch during wartime. And then there is Dannys life-changing encounter, in the darkened streets of wartime London, with a wryly cynical, battlescarred officer.

In the midst of the greatest conflict in history, facing the wild beauty of the abyss of unmeaning, Danny discovers the power of love, between friends, family and even foes.