Set in an all-boys boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a poignant and illuminating parable about the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a solitary and introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, mocking and daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like war, A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a historical fiction novel that depicts another point of view during World War II. It is a historical fiction novel because it tells of a real event that took place, but it features fictional characters. This book takes place at a boarding school in New Hampshire during World War II. A Separate Peace by Knowles, John, 1926-2001. Daredevil athlete publication. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world. Access-restricted-item true -02 - 01:47 Boxid IA40054503.