Scan barcode
jaclynday's review against another edition
3.0
This book is an extended study on grief and anger, and honestly, it exhausted me a little bit. Not because it was bad (it was very good, actually), but because the emotional turmoil was so all-consuming that it left me feeling strange–empty, confused?–by the time I’d finished the book. Also: proooobbbably wasn’t my best plan to read this after a book (Kitchens of the Great Midwest) that was aggressively delightful. It’s like I was handed this delicious ice cream and then the scoops all slid off the cone one by one onto the depressing pavement.
shelfimprovement's review against another edition
Ugh, the scene--twenty pages in--in which the protagonist sleeps with his wife for the first time makes me understand people who choose to stop reading literary white men.
arafron's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jennrid's review against another edition
This review originally appeared on Everyday eBook
A Different Kind of War Story: I Saw a Man by Owen Sheers
Some very good books have been written of late about the wars in the Middle East and their effects. I Saw a Man, the new book from [a: Owen Sheers|480932|Owen Sheers|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1369754037p2/480932.jpg], is a different story of war and its reverberations. In beautiful prose, Sheers writes with an emotional depth and knowledge that will draw the reader into his characters' lives.
When the book opens, we meet Michael Turner as he runs to his neighbors' home to retrieve a small tool he lent them. Finding the back door slightly ajar, he goes in (after knocking). His journey through the house looking for his neighbors, and his tool, is filled with a sense of foreboding. He slowly moves from room to room looking for some sign of them, certain that they would not leave the door open if they were not home.
Intertwined with this narrative are flashbacks of Michael's life: his days as a bachelor, living in New York, researching and writing a book about two youths in Washington Heights; his time courting Caroline, his wife; Caroline's death on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan while investigating a story; his move back to London; and the short history of his relationship with his neighbors, Josh and Samantha Nelson and their two daughters. These switches in time heighten the suspense as Michael journeys through the Nelsons' house to ensure all is right.
About halfway into the book, Sheers introduces Daniel McCullen, a member of the U.S. military who is part of a drone team. Based just outside of Las Vegas, he is able to live with his family while still taking part in the action in the Middle East. This plotline is also a different story on a theme - drones, their use, and the people who operate them. We see how Daniel was involved in Caroline's death, the errors that were made, and the ramifications not only this fatality but also others have had on Daniel.
Sheers's novel is a subtle examination of guilt and culpability. To what extent does one need to be directly involved to be guilty? And does not being legally or technically guilty save one from feeling guilty? What does it mean to grieve? It is also an examination of redemption and the lengths we go to achieve it. And, of course, a mediation on loss - its various forms, its effects, and its repercussions. Sheers handles these heavy themes with beautiful writing and a deft hand all the way through the very last sentence.
A Different Kind of War Story: I Saw a Man by Owen Sheers
Some very good books have been written of late about the wars in the Middle East and their effects. I Saw a Man, the new book from [a: Owen Sheers|480932|Owen Sheers|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1369754037p2/480932.jpg], is a different story of war and its reverberations. In beautiful prose, Sheers writes with an emotional depth and knowledge that will draw the reader into his characters' lives.
When the book opens, we meet Michael Turner as he runs to his neighbors' home to retrieve a small tool he lent them. Finding the back door slightly ajar, he goes in (after knocking). His journey through the house looking for his neighbors, and his tool, is filled with a sense of foreboding. He slowly moves from room to room looking for some sign of them, certain that they would not leave the door open if they were not home.
Intertwined with this narrative are flashbacks of Michael's life: his days as a bachelor, living in New York, researching and writing a book about two youths in Washington Heights; his time courting Caroline, his wife; Caroline's death on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan while investigating a story; his move back to London; and the short history of his relationship with his neighbors, Josh and Samantha Nelson and their two daughters. These switches in time heighten the suspense as Michael journeys through the Nelsons' house to ensure all is right.
About halfway into the book, Sheers introduces Daniel McCullen, a member of the U.S. military who is part of a drone team. Based just outside of Las Vegas, he is able to live with his family while still taking part in the action in the Middle East. This plotline is also a different story on a theme - drones, their use, and the people who operate them. We see how Daniel was involved in Caroline's death, the errors that were made, and the ramifications not only this fatality but also others have had on Daniel.
Sheers's novel is a subtle examination of guilt and culpability. To what extent does one need to be directly involved to be guilty? And does not being legally or technically guilty save one from feeling guilty? What does it mean to grieve? It is also an examination of redemption and the lengths we go to achieve it. And, of course, a mediation on loss - its various forms, its effects, and its repercussions. Sheers handles these heavy themes with beautiful writing and a deft hand all the way through the very last sentence.
ninawinter's review against another edition
2.0
Ist es wirklich immer besser die Wahrheit zu sagen, auch wenn sie noch so schlimm und gleichzeitig so unbedeutend ist?
Ich bin anhand des Klappentextes mit komplett andern Erwartungen an dieses Buch gegangen und dementsprechend wurde ich auch richtig enttäuscht.
Doch nicht nur das, man hörte locker die Hälfte der Sätze weglassen können und nichts an wichtigem Inhalt verpasst.
Die Geschichte plätschert dahin, die Auflösung ist lahm und das Gefühl, seine Zeit verschwendet zu haben sehr intensiv.
Ich bin anhand des Klappentextes mit komplett andern Erwartungen an dieses Buch gegangen und dementsprechend wurde ich auch richtig enttäuscht.
Doch nicht nur das, man hörte locker die Hälfte der Sätze weglassen können und nichts an wichtigem Inhalt verpasst.
Die Geschichte plätschert dahin, die Auflösung ist lahm und das Gefühl, seine Zeit verschwendet zu haben sehr intensiv.
conorelliott's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The pacing is a little disjointed and at times slow but I enjoyed the ending.
belovedsnail's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The writing is lovely, but there’s something a bit too neat in the symmetry of the book. I also dislike the trope of death of innocents as a plot device. I wanted to love it, but at best I liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and War
finii's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25