Robert M Penner

Robert Penner's life has been a slow westward migration across Canada, from his early years in Manitoba, to his education in Alberta and his new career in British Columbia. Trained as a physician, his first novel, OLD SOLDIERS, combines an intimate knowledge of his professional field with his keen interest in history. He works as a gastroenterologist in Kelowna, where he lives with his wife Monica and their son Daniel.

INside Authors interviews Robert Penner: http://www.fwointl.com/artman/publish/article_1079.shtml (19/11/07)

Old Soldiers

Death; life's only certainty. How can we cope with the death of others if our profession calls for us to confront it? How do we face our own mortality at life's end? Old Soldiers, Robert M Penner's debut powerful novel, follows Darren, a medical resident, through the gruelling hours of his internship as he grapples with these issues.

Two patients - old soldiers, one German, one Canadian - confront their own demises, and relive in their minds their wartime experiences. All three find some refuge from the spectre of death, but can Darren's professional distance provide him the same safety that soldiers find by dehumanizing their enemies?

Read an excerpt here.