Atria Books, February 2, 2016.
Four Stars
Jack Porter is a young lieutenant in the U.S.
Military, stationed in Ashuriyah, Iraq. In his early twenties, Jack does his
best to assert his leadership over his troops and make good decisions, all
while wondering what they are really accomplishing, if anything. Despite their
best efforts, the area is still in turmoil, and it is run for the most part by
the Iraqi leaders of local tribes. Violence is a daily possibility, while at
the same time, the men are dragged down by the tediousness of waiting for
something to happen in the middle of the desert.
While Jack does his best to keep the peace not only
with the locals but also within his platoon, a veteran sergeant shows up and
upsets the careful balance in Ashuriyah with his brash ways. Sergeant Chambers
has fought this war before, and he thinks he knows best, overpowering the group
with his aggressive style. Meanwhile, Jack, who should be standing up to
Chambers, becomes obsessed with a tragic local love story – an American soldier
who was killed because of his love for Rana, a local Sheik’s daughter. Jack
begins his investigation as a way to oust Chambers from the area, but instead
he is drawn in to the lives of Rana and her children – so much so that he puts everything
(his life, his career, and the fragile peace of the area) at risk to protect
them.
Youngblood (Chambers’ nickname for the young men in the unit) is a novel about
the complexities of war – the moral dilemmas that any leader must face,
amplified by Jack’s youth and passionate uncertainties. It shows the absurd
contrast between the boredom of daily patrols and the always imminent danger of
IEDs. Jack also considers his grandfathers’ roles in WWII – they sacrificed
everything to fight Fascism, and Jack can’t quite figure out what he’s really
fighting for, especially as allegiances change constantly.
For me, the most enlightening parts of the book were
Jack’s conversations with people back home in the U.S. His brother Will is a
military vet who understands that leadership – being responsible for the lives
of those around you – is the hardest part of war. Meanwhile, Jack is frustrated
with his stateside girlfriend Marissa – he pushes her away because he is unable
to discuss the tragedies of war with her, yet he is resentful of her absence.
The complexities of character are well-developed, especially in Jack and
Chambers, but also in the other soldiers and even the Iraqi locals. Their
distinct personalities are clear, and Jack grows and changes immensely
throughout the novel.
The dialogue was really well-done, with enough
military jargon sprinkled in to make it realistic, while still staying true to
each character’s voice. The novel is plot-driven, yet there is also a subtlety
to the relationships between characters that is very literary – the author
allows room for empathy for a range of characters, and there are no “bad guys”
here. As a former U.S. Army captain, Gallagher kept a controversial blog while
deployed in Iraq, which later evolved into his memoir, Kaboom. His experiences are what make this novel seem so real, as
he explores the many gray areas in the context of war. There are many violent
scenes, but not unnecessarily so, and the story is ultimately about the people
– the humanizing aspects of war.
I received this novel from Simon & Schuster/Atria
Books in exchange for an honest review.
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