Heroes is a novel written by Robert Cormier and was published in 1998. The novel is concerned with the impact of World War II, including the emotional, physical and psychological effects. It is also influenced by other historical events, including the Great Depression and the GI Bill.
The novel follows Francis Cassavant, who served in World War II and sustained terrible injuries that left him with severe facial deformities. Throughout the text, we learn about the effects these injuries have had on his self-esteem, and how the memories of war and events from his childhood still continue to haunt him.
Cormier's narrative structurally involves many flashbacks to Francis' childhood and the events of the war, showing how these memories continue to haunt him. Heroes is also a poignant look at the nature of heroes, and whether "heroic" wartime actions truly makes someone heroic. The novel's protagonist Francis is depicted as an aspiring writer, an aspect of the text which was inspired by Cormier's own ambitions to be a writer.
