Redeployment

I think that this is the kind of text that people are going to love for it's brash truth telling, or feel uncomfortable about because of that same factor. It is inevitable that this novel will make you explore your own feelings about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the treatment of our war veterans. It also made me, personally, feel guilt for just saying “Thank you for your service” to any war veteran I see. It made me feel guilty for the idea that I can never understand what these brave men and women have had to deal with, and that that simple sentence is all I can come up with.

Which is odd because the book is in no way written with this goal in mind. It does not pass judgement on anyone, from the boots on the ground, loved ones of veterans, to the civilians who oppose both the war and those who served in it. Each person simply has a role to play in each story and they play that role, for better or worse. This book merely explores the topics of bureaucracy, religion, corruption, and survival within the context of a war zone, juxtaposed with a seemingly apathetic and/or ignorant public and says “Here is what happened, deal with it.”

While this is admirable, it isn't necessarily the best strategy for a compelling narrative. It just has stories that explore one topic to another through the confusing and conflicting lens of war. It switches people, occupations, and topics to form a narrative that I found disjointed and, eventually, uninteresting. I am not saying that this didn't make this book work overall, just that this didn't make this book work for me. Perhaps it is because that I am a civilian with no military background, but I found these series of short stories more uninteresting than compelling. I give it three stars out of five.