The Yellow Birds by Kevin PowersMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
4 1/2 stars. Wow. There is imagery in this small novel about an Iraq war vet that may never leave my memory.
However, anyone looking for a linear "war story" shouldn't bother. This book is messy and complex, even in its simplicity. But it somehow manages to both capture the experience in a hypnotic, poetic, rumination rather than a traditional narrative. This book is chaotic, achingly visceral, and tremendously lyrical in its rendering of war and its aftermath.
I fell in love with THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O'Brien when I was a student. This novel does what O'Brien did for Vietnam for the war in Iraq. It is no wonder it was nominated for a National Book Award. Gorgeous.
4 comments:
I just want to say after discovering "Grace" last year and then ordering and reading every book you have ever written...in order...you are by far my favorite author...ever. You are the first author who's book(s) I actually cried at and/or feel real emotion while reading. Your writing style envelops the reader and allows them into the story, setting, and characters. Your use of description is unmatched. You have a true gift and I ENVY that! So there! re:..your earlier envy post!
Can you release another book soon please...
Signed.."waiting with bated breathe in Oregon."
Thank you so much. I am truly flattered. The next one won't be out until October of next year...so it's a little bit of a wait. For now, it's titled Bodies of Water. (Also set at Lake Gormlaith...it's about Gussy's sister Billie, set in the early 1960s.)
Human, haunting, and dramatic rendering of war and how it follows fighters home. Beautifully set novel of a needlessly truly grissly predicament. I do not want to forget the telling--but I wish I could forget the story.
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