Book Review: Placement by Kimberly Van Sickle

Reviewed by Peggy Kurkowski

The privileged son of a wealthy political family discovers what honor and duty truly means in this affecting WWII novella.

Charles George Trammel IV, a student at Trammel Academy—the institution established by his illustrious family—longs to find his place in a world where he does not seem to fit in Placement by Kimberly Van Sickle. 

This novella begins with the sights and sounds of one young soldier aboard a Higgins boat churning its way toward the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944—D-Day. As he considers what awaits his regiment, his thoughts drift back to his classic literature class taught by the fiery and intimidating Mrs. Verardi at Trammel Academy in 1942. 

The teenage boys in her class, including Charles, are terrified of being on the other end of her withering gaze. Keeping a low profile at the Academy that bears his last name, Charles still attracts her ire when not answering to her satisfaction: 

“She was big on alliteration, thus her chosen profession, but not so big on over-privileged, blond, blue-eyed teenage boys in crested green blazers.” 

The 1942 timeline is the meat of the story as Charles’s difficult family divisions come to painful light. His father, Charles George Trammel III, and his Irish Catholic mother, Mary Margaret Shaughnessy, are an odd match that defied the wishes and better judgment of both families. The large and underprivileged Shaughnessy family come from the Bronx, while the Trammels are waited on hand and foot in a cavernous mansion in Manhattan. 

From an early age, Charles witnesses the disgusting racism of his politician grandfather, who openly despises the Irish and clashes with Mary Margaret. Van Sickle is at her best in powerful discussions of the prejudices of this era.

Charles continues his education on inequality and discrimination through meaningful conversations with the kind and friendly African American chauffeur, Chauncey. But as World War II rages on and draft numbers are called up, Charles wants his life to mean more than the size of a bank account or the prominence of a last name. 

The catalyst for his decision to act comes after his increasingly obnoxious school chum, Jackson Inverness, crosses an unspoken line in class by pointedly reciting obscure poetry lines to Mrs. Verardi, who recognizes their provenance immediately. Her icy reserve visibly cracks, and Charles sets out to find why.

Each chapter begins with a short status update as the Higgins boat gets closer and closer to shore, and Trammel and his basic training buddy, Martinez, trade nervous bragging. But the two timelines soon converge around the enigma of Mrs. Verardi and what he finds out about who she really is. It spurs him to a major decision that will take him all the way to Fort Benning and his entrance into the war to do his duty. 

As the burning and smoky Normandy beaches rear up ahead of him, Charles has the capacity to muse on this first grand adventure of his life: 

“I had always thought my first time abroad would involve rolling the French countryside rather than raveled German tank traps. I was glad—no, honored—to be there nonetheless.”

With a bold and twisty conclusion, Placement is a touching portrait of a boy’s journey to manhood and honor in the crucible of class and war.

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