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A review by alexcavanaugh
Fires on the Plain by Shohei Ooka
4.0
Incredible novel depicting how far war pushes those forced into conflict. It in no way glorifies war, but rather depicts war as what it is: a miserable, horrific tragedy from start to finish. This novel is a great read for anyone unfamiliar with the experiences and struggles of the Japanese soldiers, as most war media consumed in the U.S. focuses on the American experience.
I knocked a star off the rating mostly due to what I consider excessive descriptions of the nature of the island. Context for a narrator's surroundings is good, but I found myself often having to push through long explanations about the geography of the island. I found these explanations monotonous and also filled with terminology that the average person wouldn't recognize, which meant one can either arduously stop and Google a word every few sentences, or just skim over it.
Additionally, the narrator disparages women near the very end of the novel, saying "all women are whores." I found this unnecessary and just left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Overall though, I'd highly recommend this novel to anyone. I think it should be amongst the mandatory reading for anyone who believes war should still be waged in this day and age.
I knocked a star off the rating mostly due to what I consider excessive descriptions of the nature of the island. Context for a narrator's surroundings is good, but I found myself often having to push through long explanations about the geography of the island. I found these explanations monotonous and also filled with terminology that the average person wouldn't recognize, which meant one can either arduously stop and Google a word every few sentences, or just skim over it.
Additionally, the narrator disparages women near the very end of the novel, saying "all women are whores." I found this unnecessary and just left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Overall though, I'd highly recommend this novel to anyone. I think it should be amongst the mandatory reading for anyone who believes war should still be waged in this day and age.