The Year of the Monkey: A Novel [Paperback]

William Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 17, 2008

Vietnam, 1968. The start of Tet, the lunar new year, is only weeks away. The new year will bring the Year of the Monkey, and soon the lives of four people will collide.

Marine Sergeant Michael Warner. After barely surviving his first tour of duty in Vietnam, the tough Marine has just returned. Warner has all the reasons in the world not to come back—but they only matter to him.

Frank Monin. As regional supervisor for the CIA, Monin has been in Vietnam for more than five years. Now Monin has a mission to implement the Agency’s newest plan to eliminate the Viet Cong infrastructure—and he prays it will work.

Wally Brumsfield. As bureau chief for the Associated Press in Saigon, Brumsfield is an experienced journalist adept at finding the story behind the story—and he is about to discover the biggest story of his life.

Tran Van Ky. A barber at the American base in Phu Bai, Tran is also one of the highest-ranking Viet Cong cadres in Vietnam—and Tran and his cohorts are planning a Tet surprise for the Americans.

Four strangers. Four agendas. All caught up in the most controversial plan of the entire war—the Phoenix Program.

Cover Design Concept: Clayton Thomas

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Lewis served in Vietnam with the Fifth Marines. A former journalist and veterans’ advocate, he was the executive director of the New Jersey Agent Orange Commission from 1991 to 1996. Lewis lives in New Jersey and is currently a college instructor and small-business owner.

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (January 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595475841
• ISBN-13: 978-0595475841
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,645 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe if I ........, March 26, 2008

By 

barb in the Windy City "barb" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Year of the Monkey: A Novel (Paperback)

Maybe if I had read this book 25 years ago, I wouldn't be the ex-wife of a Vietnam Veteran. My ex served 2 tours in Vietnam; 1968-1969 and 1970-1971. His first tour ended, he came home, went to flight school and returned. I was against his going back. (maybe the fact I was pregnant both times he was gone had something to do with my feelings at the time)

When he returned home, we never discussed what happened to him over there.
He drank more and more...became more distant.

Mr. Lewis let me feel what he was probably feeling at the time. As I read the book, my heart raced in fear; I felt anger and hatred; I was confused; and I cried. He has a God given ability to make you feel as if he is one of the characters telling you his story.
The language is rough; it reminded me of the first dinner my ex had with our family upon his return when he said "Pass the f---- salt"! I was shocked; he had never talked like that before.
After too many years of trying to talk, trying to get through to him, we divorced. I think had I known all that Mr Lewis so eloquently told I would have tried harder. I couldn't fight the unseen demons anymore.
Thank you Mr Lewis for sharing which I'm sure must have been a part of your own experience. And "thank you" for serving your country for all of us.

Barb

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying, entertaining, sobering, February 27, 2008

By 

Al Past (Beeville, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Year of the Monkey: A Novel (Paperback)

Full disclosure: I am a Viet Nam-era veteran (Navy), but beyond seeing Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter, I have been content to put the whole unpleasantness of that time out of my mind. Evidently, the great majority of my fellow Americans feel the same way. That's more than a shame: in view of current events, it's a tragedy. Now more than ever we need to be reminded of how important it is we know where we've been as a nation, where we've gone wrong, and, if we can only gain a few glimmerings of wisdom, where not to go in the future. Some think democracy is the great wave of the future. There's probably a better argument to be made that stupidity is the wave of the future.

That's why The Year of the Monkey, by William W. Lewis, is most timely. For me, it brings back memories long forgotten, and in sharp detail. It rings true. The story is set at the time of the Tet Offensive, when Communist forces mounted a surprise counterattack against Hue, a supposedly safe city in South Vietnam. The attack failed in the short run, but the political ramifications it caused are viewed by many historians as the beginning of the end of our ill-advised and bungled adventure in Indochina. To tell his story Lewis interweaves the lives of four characters: a Marine Sergeant, a CIA operative, a journalist, and a seemingly humble Vietnamese barber, who is really a double agent and a devoted patriot. These threads are brought together with great skill and grace in cleanly-written, convincingly detailed prose. The resulting tale is one in which the reader cares for the characters, imperfect though they all are. At the end one can only shake one's head at the waste, the stupidity, and the cruelty which make savages of us all, including the ignorant and uncaring back home.

That sounds terribly somber, but the book is not, really. The editing is nearly immaculate. It's a page turner in the good sense: fun to read despite its serious subject matter. For those with super-delicate sensibilities, I should mention that the language of most of the characters is rough indeed. It is also accurate: I know! See the first sentence, above.

The Year of the Monkey is a terrific example of an independently-published book that is outside the norm, not below it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Year of the Monkey, August 1, 2009

By 

Alan C. Horton (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Year of the Monkey: A Novel (Paperback)

Author Bill Lewis captured the sights, and sounds that was Viet Nam. He was also able to separate the bravery of the young men who fought there from the lunacy of their leaders. Well done.