so strictly speaking, it's not a novel. However,
The Forgotten Soldier, by Guy Sajer, is one of my top 3 reads of all time.
Written by a half-French (hence the name), half-German man, it tells the story of how he, without speaking a word of German, was conscripted into the German army aged 17 (:eek

, and sent to the Russian front. Needless to say, he survived the war, and his account of the war and is the most compelling I've ever read.
I rate the book so highly that I've bought countless copies and given it to people.