William Nicholson had more than a passing interest in the Oscars this year – his most recent screenplay is the melodramatic marvel that is Les Misérables. It's no surprise, then, that his novels are regularly described as cinematic. In his new novel Motherland, set during and immediately after the second world war, this means some terrific scenes – his portrayal of the wartime disaster that was the raid on Dieppe is grippingly rendered. But the flip-side is that there are regular pages of unmediated dialogue, as if Nicholson has tired of having to do something as boring as describing deep emotion.

And emotional depth is important here because for all its historical nods to the war, the partition of India and, er, the banana business, Motherland is a love story in which troubled commando Ed and arty officer Larry both fall in love with the same alluring girl, Kitty. Ed is the haunted-but-charismatic one who wins her heart early on, but panicked by what he sees at Dieppe and the notion of heroism, his darker side begins to impact on their relationship. Meanwhile, Larry struggles to be good and fair to his friend on the sidelines. "Something happened to all of us [at Dieppe]," he says portentously. "It was like the end of the world."

It's not the only time Motherland tramples into cliches of frightfully stilted characters talking in incredibly broad brush strokes about love and Important Moments in History. Nicholson's last book, The Golden Hour, felt like an attempt at thoughtful, commercial modern fiction, but Motherland is just a bit obvious. It'll probably make for a smash-hit film.