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A review by aglaia0001
Redeployment by Phil Klay
4.0
I picked up Phil Klay's [b:Redeployment|18114068|Redeployment|Phil Klay|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417987993s/18114068.jpg|25441299] on a whim because the first few pages intrigued me and I found a signed, first edition at a good price. I had never heard of Klay or of his short story collection. The next week, it was announced that Klay was awarded a National Book Award. Upon completing the collection, I fully agree with his award.
This collection of stories centers around the experiences of soldiers at or returning from war. Klay writes with a masculine yet emotional voice as he explores the nuances of war psychology both on and off the battlefield. Touching on the sometimes absurd politics of war, Klay manages to convey the tension that veterans experience as they return and reintegrate into a civilian society. His prose is simple with a vaguely distant voice that manages to simultaneously defamiliarize and personalize the stories.
While all the stories in this collection are interesting, there are a few that particularly stand out. The title story introduces the theme of reintegration in the form of a returning veteran who must perform the same duty stateside as he did when deployed -- he must shoot a dog. Only this time, rather than shooting dogs that are devouring the dead, he must put down his own aging pet. "Bodies" emphasizes the narrator's awareness of bodies -- both the bodies he processes as a Mortuary Affairs marine and his own living body. "Psychological Operations" explores the emotions of a veteran who is faced with a newly converted Muslim.
The closing story, "Ten Kliks South," perfectly concludes this collection. Weaving the struggle of an artillery man who is grappling with how unreal a distant warfare can be with the reality of killing someone, Klay explores a redeployment of a different kind as the narrator reflects on a fallen soldier who is returned home.
Overall, I found this collection solid. Some stories are stronger than others and, when read too closely together, the common theme between many of the stories can seem a bit pondorous. However, Klay excels best at subtly stressing the horrific nature found in the very mundanity of war.
This collection of stories centers around the experiences of soldiers at or returning from war. Klay writes with a masculine yet emotional voice as he explores the nuances of war psychology both on and off the battlefield. Touching on the sometimes absurd politics of war, Klay manages to convey the tension that veterans experience as they return and reintegrate into a civilian society. His prose is simple with a vaguely distant voice that manages to simultaneously defamiliarize and personalize the stories.
While all the stories in this collection are interesting, there are a few that particularly stand out. The title story introduces the theme of reintegration in the form of a returning veteran who must perform the same duty stateside as he did when deployed -- he must shoot a dog. Only this time, rather than shooting dogs that are devouring the dead, he must put down his own aging pet. "Bodies" emphasizes the narrator's awareness of bodies -- both the bodies he processes as a Mortuary Affairs marine and his own living body. "Psychological Operations" explores the emotions of a veteran who is faced with a newly converted Muslim.
The closing story, "Ten Kliks South," perfectly concludes this collection. Weaving the struggle of an artillery man who is grappling with how unreal a distant warfare can be with the reality of killing someone, Klay explores a redeployment of a different kind as the narrator reflects on a fallen soldier who is returned home.
Overall, I found this collection solid. Some stories are stronger than others and, when read too closely together, the common theme between many of the stories can seem a bit pondorous. However, Klay excels best at subtly stressing the horrific nature found in the very mundanity of war.