The Barracks Thief [Paperback]

Tobias Wolff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1990

The Barracks Thief is the story of three young paratroopers waiting to be shipped out to Vietnam. Brought together one sweltering afternoon to stand guard over an ammunition dump threatened by a forest fire, they discover in each other an unexpected capacity for recklessness and violence. Far from being alarmed by this discovery, they are exhilarated by it; they emerge from their common danger full of confidence in their own manhood and in the bond of friendship they have formed.

This confidence is shaken when a series of thefts occur. The author embraces the perspectives of both the betrayer and the betrayed, forcing us to participate in lives that we might otherwise condemn, and to recognize the kinship of those lives to our own.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tobias Wolff lives in Northern California and teaches at Stanford University. Author of the recent novel Old School, he has received the Rea Award for excellence in the short story, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. His collection of short stories, In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, is also available from Ecco.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Ecco (January 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880010495
• ISBN-13: 978-0880010498
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barracks Thief--Pen/Faulkner worthy, June 4, 2000

By 

S. DEMILLE "All Purpose Nerd" (N. Las Vegas, Nevada USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Barracks Thief (Paperback)

Two things induced me to read this book: 1) Its brevity, and 2) it's status of having won the prestigious Pen/Faulkner award. I dug the book out from one of my banana boxes and read it in one day. I was amply rewarded. Each page added to the intrigue, and I could hardly wait to see what would become of the characters. I wanted to learn the fate of Lewis, who Wolff characterized as one screwed-up dude. I actually felt sorry for him and wondered what experiences in his life could have produced such behavior. As for Philip, he is irrevocably changed by his experience at Fort Bragg and the Vietnam War. But, in my opinion, the ending came too abruptly. Wolff simply tells, in a few sentences, what becomes of the characters after the war. I think the novel would have been more powerful if Wolff would have shown a few scenes in the lives of each character. After I read the last sentence of the book, I wanted more, more than I got. Maybe an epilogue of sorts. But Wolff atoned for this deficiency by revisiting the symbol of the ammunition dump at the end. Life can be volatile and each experience (spark) in our lives can have explosive consequences.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story full of suprises!, June 5, 1999

By 

Webb Haymaker "Social Worker" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Barracks Thief (Paperback)

I've read and re-read (multiple times) everything Tobias Wolff has written and I think this book is the best. It has the narrative pacing of a suspense novel, with strange, funny yet very human characterizations. The writing is pristine clear. The primary theme is the percieved benefits of conformity by the main character and his undercurrent of resistence to it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cuts to the Heart of the Character, March 6, 2006

By 

Scott William Foley (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Barracks Thief (Paperback)

Tobias Wolff has written a brief yet powerful tale concerning a young man awaiting deployment to Vietnam. During his wait at Fort Bragg, a thief emerges, stealing from his fellow troops. The tale goes on to offer reactions to the thefts, then, in true original Wolff style, switches perspective half way through to give insight into the motivations of the thief himself. Finally, the book finishes with its original perspective, offering a tight and satisfying conclusion.

Wolff is an expert at cutting to the heart of his characters, sometimes with very little narrative at all, but his stories always resonate with the reader far after the book has been finished. The Barracks Thief is no exception, and I believe it is a superb commentary on how most of us feel alone even when surrounded by throngs of people.

~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant