Customer Reviews

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

CARL MELCHER GOES TO VIETNAM is about as unlikely a title for a book as one can imagine. It sounds like a running byline in a newspaper, or a children's 'learn about this' story, or something that borders on corny. But after reading Paul Clayton's very strong novel, the title could not seem more apt. This is the tale of a lad from Philadelphia who enters the military in the late 1960's when the nation was at war in Vietnam and the kids of that generation were being eaten by induction into training camps then shipped via classy commercial airlines to Vietnam where they adapted to one of the ugliest wars in our history: Vietnam was an enormous mistake and the young men sent there to die or serve their year In Country returned home with either physical or indelible mental wounds. Making the narrator of this book (that is so very real a look at that war called Vietnam) a simple, nondescript person brings a powerful Everyman theme to the book. Carl Melcher lands in Vietnam without much in the way of history, he likes to read Hermann Hesse, he gets along with most everyone despite the ethnic barriers superimposed on the inductees - he just wants to survive. Clayton creates a group of likeable characters, gives them time to bond, and then begins to send them out on patrols where slowly most everyone is consumed by the greed of the war effort. There is no beginning or end to this story and that is so sensitive on the part of Clayton, a man who gathered his information form his own tour of duty in the Nam. He writes in straight forward, simple prose, much the way one would expect Carl Melcher to observe the world. Unlike most authors who have written about the Vietnam experience, Clayton shies away from the crude expletives that served as pan-communication in Vietnam: there are few curse words (the common language then) and the writing almost benefits from this trait. Some of the African American characters have their persistent phrases that Clayton uses with both solid humor and intense agony. By keeping his story so free of 'special effects drama' the tragedies are more tragic, the moments of camaraderie are more true. This is a war story that concentrates more on the indomitable human spirit than on 'strike and fall back' episodes. Not that the brutality and hideous waste that abounded in Vietnam are not addressed: they are very present and terrifyingly memory jolting. Clayton, I think, prefers to give us a version of what war does to the young people of the world. Writing in this manner he gives us one of the more subtle and lasting antiwar novels in some years. Highly Recommended!

Plot/Storyline: 5 Stars

I have read many fictional accounts of wartime, but this one is the most realistic I have come across. Unlike many other novels centered around a war, this one does not try to vilify or praise the soldiers, military, or government. It simply tells the story of one regular guy who got drafted. Various opinions are displayed, but never in a preachy kind of way.

Carl is not a hero. He's just a soldier doing what he's told to get through his tour alive. The story is told solely through his narration. In the beginning, you almost think he's a bit `Gump-like' in his immaturity and naiveté. Throughout the remainder, his voice matures in small, but definite increments as he faces the grind of being an infantry soldier.

While there is an abundance of military lingo used, the author takes care to explain each term. He does this subtly through Carl, without ever resorting to lecture mode.

Character Development: 5 Stars

Carl is a wonderful, deep character that will stay with you long after you finish the last page. His voice is so simple and clear that you feel as though you are there with him in the trenches.

The author introduces each character as Carl meets them with a physical description, then deepens the development through their conversations with Carl. You won't just love Carl; you will also love his friends, Beobee, Glock, Ron, and many others. This wonderful story breathes life into each one.

Writing Style: 5 Stars

The events and action are all told in a clear voice leaving no room for confusion. The descriptions are tactful, delivering the full horror without resorting to efforts at shocking the reader.

Editing/Formatting: 4 3/4 Stars

The editing was of professional quality. The formatting had a small issue of extra line spacing between paragraphs.

Rating: PG-15 due to Violence, Mild Graphic Violence, Drug Use

Tons of novels have been written about war. It seems like half of Hemingway's oeuvre qualifies. "Catch-22" and Ron Kovic's "Born on the Fourth of July" are two classics. Some glorify war while others illustrate its absurdity.

"Carl Melcher" is one that shows the absurdity, but takes a more subtle approach than the over-the-top satire of "Catch-22." Sometimes contrast can illustrate an idea better than repetition. Rather than continually showing the absurd, as Heller did in "Catch-22," Clayton shows the contrasts. Many days Melcher is bored, working in the camp in the Vietnam jungle with no imminent danger. Even while on patrol it is usually a whole lot of no action. Yet the threat is always there and the sheer terror when attacked shows why war changes a soldier. Melcher's changes are gradual - some good, some not, and some hard to judge - yet over the course of the novel the amount of change is immense.

It seems to me that Melcher's experiences are probably more true to what the typical soldier in Vietnam actually experienced than most other Vietnam War novels. This makes its message both more powerful and more credible.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog.**

What would you do if you were sent to Vietnam as a young man? How would that confusing war change you? How would you come home? In a casket? Without legs? Without hope? Grateful?

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam provides a plausible, evocative answer as a likeable narrator fumbles, mumbles, and stumbles in a strange land. Friendship is easier to find than solace, and our anti-hero gains perspective through loss and amidst chaos and confusion. Sometimes getting home alive is victory enough - if you have good friends.

This thin, semi-autobiographical novel felt real, but I have only been to Vietnam as a tourist and teacher in the 21st century. I must admit, however, that Paul Clayton made me feel blessed that I never had to go to Vietnam as a soldier. What more do you want from a tragic war novel?

I recommend this thin, engaging coming of age novel for fellow travelers to Vietnam, high school students, and especially children of Vietnam Vets. It's one of those books that raises big questions and describes the dangers of innocence in a time of war.

Almost everyone grows up, leaves home and begins to encounter the real world. For those who are lucky, this encounter occurs in the quiet precincts of a college campus or a job where a friend or relative is never far way. In 1968, when this novel is cast, that growing up occurred for many young American men in Vietnam.

Carl Melcher is an 18-year-old draftee who finds himself in the infantry because the war isn't going well for the United States and its South Vietnamese allies. He views the whole experience through rose-colored glasses, feeling that the accumulated karma of having led a good life will see him through. That world view is challenged by experiences in which the best efforts of mere mortals seem to be inadequate to offset a strongly ironic fate for the soldiers. For every action, there seems to be an equally strong and nearly immediate reaction in an unintended direction. The plot is nicely built to both capture the perspectives of a young and naive soldier and to challenge his philosophy.

One of my cousins served in the Marines a little before this time, and his recollections of his time there tally very well with the story and perspectives in this book. As a result, I found that the semi-autobiographical story rang true in a way that many war novels do not.

If you are looking for a book that glories war, heroism, or the American cause, look elsewhere. This is one of those quiet books that is more of an anti-war book, although that does not seem to be its overt purpose. I was reminded of the better parts of All Quiet on the Western Front as I read the book.

The book's only significant weakness is that the story occasionally leaves you wondering what happened . . . and grasping for an answer. If you read on, the answer usually comes within four pages. The purpose seems to be to express the genuine confusion that often accompanies combat. As a narrative device, it didn't quite work as well as it might have.

Why should you want to read this book? I was reluctant at first, but the book received recognition as a 2001 Frankfurt E-Book Award finalist. That attracted my attention, and I felt well rewarded by the story.

This book will be especially valuable to those who have relatives who have served in combat, have been harmed by the experience and don't want to talk about what they faced.

I've read a lot of novels about the Vietnam war, but "Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam" ranks right up there with the best of them. From the first page the reader is drawn into the story completely and experiences the alternating tedium and tension, the mysterious jungle, the underlying conflict between black and white soldiers, the friendships made and the brutal reality of their being taken away -- in essence all the daily nuances of the common soldier's Vietnam War experience. The characters of this story come alive and stay in the reader's head for a long time after finishing the last page. This carefully-crafted novel made me a Paul Clayton fan, and I'm eagerly waiting for his next one.

Too bad this novel hasn't been published by a large house. Paul Clayton manages to keep enough distance from his subject to allow him to craft his work with dispassion and objectivity. Clayton served in Vietnam, and maybe there are more than a few autobiographical incidents in this novel. The prose borders on being minimalist, especially the dialogue, and that's what really works in Clayton's favor as he depicts the every day existence of what it was really like to be a grunt in Nam. (In some ways his writing style reminds this reader of Raymond Carver). The tone is serious, the characters very real. The protagonist, Carl Melcher, is just an ordinary, average citizen soldier that comes to Vietnam to fulfil his obligation to Uncle Sam. Along the way he makes friends and loses friends. It's a great coming of age novel in that Melcher also loses his innocence. An endearing character due to his naivete and willingness to accept his fellow grunts on their own terms, Melcher ends up being just another emotional casualty by the time he gets back to the "world." The language, the dialogue, and the logical flow of events carry you along effortlessly, and when you finish, you're left with a whole lot to think about. Thanks for serving, Paul, and thanks for writing this powerful little book.

I'm not much into reading about Vietnam (my preference has always been WWII), but I do like to try reading books I wouldn't normally choose. This was well worth the time and effort--good characterization, and a story that held my attention.

Clayton's semi-autobiographical account of an infantryman's tour of duty in the Vietnam War is perfectly serviceable, but offers no new insights or perspectives to the already large body of fiction about that most regrettable of American military escapades. Told from the first person perspective of Philadelphia native and college dropout Carl, the story begins with his arrival in Vietnam in a 747 passenger jet. From the very beginning, Carl's tour follows predictable patterns and is peopled with thinly realized characters. He is assigned to a remote firebase where life is relatively tranquilómost of his time is spent in the camp hanging out with his squad and a conscientious objector medic who is full of Deep Thoughts.

The bulk of the book is full of familiar incidents and stock characters. The beloved father-figure squad leader, short-timer gets killed in a senseless manner. There's racial tension as good-looking quarterback type butts heads with a strong-willing black soldier only to end up as good friends. The motormouth guy on his second tour is alternatingly annoying and engagingóhe'll buy it too of course. The quiet intense guy flips out and kills himself. Most officers are avuncular, and then a martinet shows up and the easygoing atmosphere is transformed. Jungle patrols are tense and grueling. Combat is sudden and chaotic. A local French/Vietnamese girl catches Carl's eye and they have a platonic relationship. All of this is fine, but we've seen it all before, and from better writers.

Clayton's prose is about as simple as it gets, and not in a good way. There's no eye for detail and no ability to describe a setting so that it comes alive. It just reads flat, and about 2/3 of the way through the book, you realize that almost every single character Carl comes to like will be killed. To some degree, every perspective on the Vietnam War is worthwhile, as it helps one to build a larger mental image of the war. Certainly, if you know little about the war or haven't read any other fiction about it, or seen any films, it'll be interesting. However, for those who've read other Vietnam fiction, this doesn't cover any new ground or offer a new way of looking at the war. It's not bad, just not that compelling.

I have read a lot of Vietnam War-era fiction, many by war veterans, and Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam is by far one of my favorites. Admittedly, there was probably an extra level of enjoyment on my part because of the fact that I spent almost 14 years as an active duty Army soldier myself. There was something very human about this novel, something that made it more realistic than many of the novels I have read set in this era.

The novel is written in the first person from the point of view of the title character, Carl Melcher, a naive 18 year old drafted into the Army and the Infantry. In his telling of the story, there was a lot of explanation of basic terms (like "Charley" and "R&R") that most of us already know the meaning of, but that just added to the youth of Carl. Personally, I think Melcher is an accurate representation of the average soldier in Vietnam, as in other wars. He's a young kid, drafted into the war, and largely naive as to what that means. He spends most of his ToD in places that don't put him in imminent danger, leaving him bored and doing many of the countless details that are a part of a deployment. But over it all is the constant threat and fear of what could happen next. Over the course of the novel, Melcher changes as he goes through love and loss.

Because of the subject matter, it may not be the book for everyone. It isn't a happy book, but it isn't all sad, either. I personally loved it, although it almost feels wrong to "love" a book about war. But I couldn't put it down, completely engrossed and involved with the story and the characters. I recognize that the fact that I am an Army vet, married to a deployed soldier, may have heightened the experience for me, but even aside from that, this was an excellent book.