Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 5/9/2020 + 1185 more book reviews

This novel is about a Vietnam veteran, Charles, who is haunted by his experiences during the war. He was married prior to the war and after the war he moves an old caboose up to a mountain in British Columbia where he lives with his three children. His wife left him and is subsequently killed in a motorcycle accident. Ever since the war, he has been filled with feelings of foreboding and once his children have left home, he decides to return to Vietnam on a quest to reconcile his nightmares. But when he gets there, he really doesn't recognize the place including the village where his worst remembrances take place. He does discover a book written by a North Vietnamese soldier that parallels his experiences and he takes some solace in this. And then he disappears leaving his children to wonder what happened to him. His oldest daughter, Ada and his son, Jon, decide to go to Vietnam to look for him.

The book alternates between Charles' experiences and Ada and Jon's quest to locate their dad in Vietnam. The novel has a tone of melancholia throughout. Charles' children seem to have inherited his dark side and moods and their journey into Vietnam reflects this. I did feel this tale was well written and it reminded me somewhat of Hemingway's sparse writing style. But overall, this was a very sad story reflecting the miseries of the Vietnam War.

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