Customer Reviews

War Year

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War Year could qualify as a novella rather than an actual novel. It's only about 120 pages, and I finished it in less than 5 hours. It almost reads like a diary, following the path of a combat engineer through his tour in Viet Nam. The writing style is very simple and straightforward, not getting too caught up in details or characterization. You get names for characters, and maybe some insight into a personality trait or two, but it's really just enough for an ID. As a result, you won't get very involved with any of the characters, but they serve to tell a good story. I believe that this was Joe Haldeman's first effort to get his wartime experiences in print, and it reads as such: there are some instances in the story that seem very personal and too real. Certain activities are laid out with an education slant, so you get some good information about what GIs had to do to survive. The ending is quite abrupt and darkly humorous, and contributes even more to the feeling of detachment initiated by the slight characterization. Please note that if you want to really experience Haldeman writing about war, try "1968", a truly exceptional novel.

What I like best about this book is its modesty. It is not showy in any way, just clean and honest. It does not emphasize the horror or the cynicism, as most other Vietnam novels do. The book is more about camaderie, and it retains a little of the idealism that so many people felt at the time. I have read this book four times or so, and I would recommend it as an introductory novel, not only for its quality, but also for its brevity. The author evidently had second thoughts about this novel, since the text of the paperback edition differs from the hardcover. I am not sure how extensive the changes he made were, however the hardcover's ending is upbeat, the softcover's just the opposite.