What would you sacrifice if your best friend needed you? For Robyn Rowbotham, the protagonist of James Myles’ Is It Ever Right to Kill?, the answer is everything: her studies, her safety, and even her future. At the heart of this powerful war novel lies a friendship so deep that it defies reason and pulls Robyn into the middle of one of the most dangerous conflicts of our time.
The story begins in London, where Robyn is finishing her third year of medical school. Her life is on track: she has a devoted partner, Peter, and a clear goal of becoming a doctor. But when her longtime friend Kat calls in hopelessness, saying her parents have gone missing in Ukraine after the Russian invasion, Robyn cannot ignore the plea. Kat is more than a friend; she is family. And when family is in danger, Robyn believes, you do not stand by. You act.
This decision sets the course for the novel. Robyn chooses not just to comfort Kat from a distance but to travel into the war zone itself. She joins Ukrainian forces as a medic, a role that demands gruelling training, weapons drills, and a crash course in battlefield medicine. Myles’ depiction of these experiences is raw and unflinching: readers follow Robyn as she faces missile attacks, theft of her supplies, and the relentless emotional toll of treating wounded soldiers.
What makes this narrative stand out is not only the portrayal of war but also the human ties that carry Robyn through it. Alongside Kat and with the help of other women like Minti and Molly, she creates a fragile support system during chaos. Their bond is tested at every turn, by fear, by exhaustion, and by the ever-present shadow of death, but it holds. That loyalty underscores the novel’s message: friendship can be a form of resistance, a light that refuses to go out even in the darkest of times.
The novel also explores the tension between personal duty and collective responsibility. Peter, Robyn’s boyfriend, urges her to stay and complete her studies, arguing that the world needs doctors at home just as much as abroad. His reasoning is practical, but Robyn’s heart leads her elsewhere. This clash of perspectives raises one of the book’s central questions: when faced with injustice, is it better to protect your own future or risk it all for someone else?
Through Robyn’s eyes, Is It Ever Right to Kill? by James Myles, offers readers both an intimate story of love and loyalty and a broader reflection on the choices ordinary people make in extraordinary times. It is a novel that captures the brutality of modern conflict while reminding us of the resilience that grows out of friendship.
For anyone seeking a gripping story that blends moral complexity with human warmth, James Myles’ book is one you will not want to miss. Is It Ever Right to Kill? is more than war fiction. It is a testament to the courage found in loyalty and the enduring power of standing by those we love.
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1917399677.
