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A review by jimmyjamesnickels
Redeployment by Phil Klay
3.0
Not to be that guy, but I wish I could give this book 3.5 stars. I spent more time than was probably reasonable, fretting about the seemingly lackluster three but not really feeling the full four stars. Perhaps I am over thinking this. Perhaps.
When I review or rate a book, the fundamental question I ask myself is "Did I enjoy this?" because for better or worse, that's what I read for: Enjoyment. I don't typically read for education or edification, but I'm receptive to either if I enjoy the ride. Given the subject matter present in Redeployment, I feel confident in saying this is not the sort of book you enjoy. It was grim, and sad and unflinchingly uncomfortable and is precisely the dialog largely missing in this country. Phil Klay attempts to give an understanding for what it is truly like Over There for those of us Back Home.
"I’d gotten a lot of 'Thank You For Your Service' handshakes, but nobody really knew what that service meant."
The author never delves into cliche or some romanticized, thumping patriotic vision of the war in Iraq but is instead frank and plain spoken. There were moments in the book of the sort I found myself putting it down after reading, feeling numb and dry mouthed with shock and in need of a little time to absorb, to reflect.
It was not without its flaws, however.
Reluctantly, I think the scope of the book was beyond the ability of the writer. None of the individual characters truly had a voice of their own, to the extent each chapter's narrator was the same in tone and focus as the one before. The situations change from one chapter to the next, but the protagonist himself is largely faceless. I can absolutely see how this Joe Marine Everyman vibe could be used considered a device effectively to make the situations more universal for deployed serviced members, and perhaps that was intentional.
Be that as it may, while I feel the twelve stories told here are very important ones, I feel they were diminished over all by the fact the reader begins to suffer from a monotonous sort of fatigue by book's end. It's difficult to connect to the emotions and motivations for the character when ostensibly you're dealing with a new cast each chapter...and yet, the characters are all extremely interchangeable from one chapter to the next. Perhaps if the chapters had been somehow linked together, or if the voices of each new chapter's protagonist been stronger and more unique, I would have enjoyed this book more than I had.
Aaaand there's that word again 'enjoy'. It seems flippant to pout about not enjoying a book on this subject matter but there's a difference between saying I can appreciate a book for what it was and going "Wow. This was amazing." Redeployment inspires the former response in me, but not the latter. I'm glad that I gave it a chance and would recommend it to others. While the situations and circumstances the author describes have deep emotional resonance it seems sad the characters themselves are largely forgettable once you've turned a few pages.
When I review or rate a book, the fundamental question I ask myself is "Did I enjoy this?" because for better or worse, that's what I read for: Enjoyment. I don't typically read for education or edification, but I'm receptive to either if I enjoy the ride. Given the subject matter present in Redeployment, I feel confident in saying this is not the sort of book you enjoy. It was grim, and sad and unflinchingly uncomfortable and is precisely the dialog largely missing in this country. Phil Klay attempts to give an understanding for what it is truly like Over There for those of us Back Home.
"I’d gotten a lot of 'Thank You For Your Service' handshakes, but nobody really knew what that service meant."
The author never delves into cliche or some romanticized, thumping patriotic vision of the war in Iraq but is instead frank and plain spoken. There were moments in the book of the sort I found myself putting it down after reading, feeling numb and dry mouthed with shock and in need of a little time to absorb, to reflect.
It was not without its flaws, however.
Reluctantly, I think the scope of the book was beyond the ability of the writer. None of the individual characters truly had a voice of their own, to the extent each chapter's narrator was the same in tone and focus as the one before. The situations change from one chapter to the next, but the protagonist himself is largely faceless. I can absolutely see how this Joe Marine Everyman vibe could be used considered a device effectively to make the situations more universal for deployed serviced members, and perhaps that was intentional.
Be that as it may, while I feel the twelve stories told here are very important ones, I feel they were diminished over all by the fact the reader begins to suffer from a monotonous sort of fatigue by book's end. It's difficult to connect to the emotions and motivations for the character when ostensibly you're dealing with a new cast each chapter...and yet, the characters are all extremely interchangeable from one chapter to the next. Perhaps if the chapters had been somehow linked together, or if the voices of each new chapter's protagonist been stronger and more unique, I would have enjoyed this book more than I had.
Aaaand there's that word again 'enjoy'. It seems flippant to pout about not enjoying a book on this subject matter but there's a difference between saying I can appreciate a book for what it was and going "Wow. This was amazing." Redeployment inspires the former response in me, but not the latter. I'm glad that I gave it a chance and would recommend it to others. While the situations and circumstances the author describes have deep emotional resonance it seems sad the characters themselves are largely forgettable once you've turned a few pages.