Redeployment by Phil Klay

Redeployment

Phil Klay
291 pages
Penguin Group USA
Mar 2014
Literature & Fiction WSBN
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<b>Winner of the 2014 National Book Award for Fiction · Winner of the John Leonard First Book Prize · Selected as one of the best books of the year by <i>The New York Times Book Review</i>, <i>Time</i>, <i>Newsweek</i>, <i>The Washington Post Book World</i>, Amazon, and more · National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree · <i>New York Times </i>Bestseller</b><br><br> Phil Klay's<i> Redeployment </i>takes readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Interwoven with themes of brutality and faith, guilt and fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos.<br><br> In &quot;Redeployment&quot;, a soldier who has had to shoot dogs because they were eating human corpses must learn what it is like to return to domestic life in suburbia, surrounded by people &quot;who have no idea where Fallujah is, where three members of your platoon died.&quot; In &quot;After Action Report&quot;, a Lance Corporal seeks expiation for a killing he didn't commit, in order that his best friend will be unburdened. A Morturary Affairs Marine tells about his experiences collecting remains - of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers both. A chaplain sees his understanding of Christianity, and his ability to provide solace through religion, tested by the actions of a ferocious Colonel. And in the darkly comic &quot;Money as a Weapons System&quot;, a young Foreign Service Officer is given the absurd task of helping Iraqis improve their lives by teaching them to play baseball. These stories reveal the intricate combination of monotony, bureaucracy, comradeship and violence that make up a soldier's daily life at war, and the isolation, remorse, and despair that can accompany a soldier's homecoming.<br><br> <i>Redeployment</i> is poised to become a classic in the tradition of war writing. Across nations and continents, Klay sets in devastating relief the two worlds a soldier inhabits: one of extremes and one of loss. Written with a hard-eyed realism and stunning emotional depth, this work marks Phil Klay as one of the most talented new voices of his generation.
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Unflinchingly real

Redeployment is an unflinchingly real depiction of war. Phil Klay weaves together ten short stories, telling the struggle of soldiers in the battlefield or those trying to acclimatize to the stark contrast of civilian life. One details the raw, visceral hatred some of the soldiers held and targeted towards the Iraqis; another tells the story of a chaplain attempting to assist a soldier unable to reconcile some of the things he did. These vignettes are able to create characters in only a few pages, that you can sympathize for, understand, and believe in. Although this character might not have been real, it represents thousands of real soldiers going through the same psychological and emotional strife. The stories are varied and many, but all hold true to a central theme, that of one's ability to find a way to find truth in the chaos, horror and utter cruelty of war. Klay is skilled in his creation of a diverse range of perspectives, each contributing one part to a greater whole. Every story is immensely personal, detailing their decaying state of wellbeing as they take the war one step at a time, or the numbness that overtakes their lives as they return to what was once their home. It tears down the facade of war that makes it to be full of honor and glory, bringing to light what impact it has on not only the troops that risk their lives, but also the civilians of war-torn countries, deprived of necessities and forced into a life they did not chose. The value of it as a novel itself is rich and fulfilling, however it is hard to understand at some points. Frequent use of highly specific military jargon detracts from the overall meaning at some points, leaving me searching up what SITREP might mean rather than continuing on the story. However this is only a small qualm I have, overshadowed by it's many virtues. Every book about war I read shows me a deeper insight on this wider topic, but none have gotten me closer to the reality of what it might be like on such a h...

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About this book
Pages 291
Publisher Penguin Group USA
Published 2014
Readers 3