Book #37 – The Things They Carried

  I think that The Things They Carried has made it all the way around the house, except for Kendall. Kyle gave it to Tia, she gave it to me, my sister-in-law Marla read a copy and gave hers to Delaney. And finally I read it.

It’s an interesting book, not quite the kind of book I usually pick up. But I enjoyed it, and I liked the imagery, the stories that try to explain something without directly saying it, the jumping around in time.

Tim O’Brien was a Vietnam soldier. The book opens talking about his platoon and the things that various members brought with them. Some physical objects, some emotional baggage, some images, and some ideals.

The book isn’t a story per se, but more an explanation and attempt to get you to understand life in that war. The death of friends, sometimes described as images where you are never quite sure what happened. Someone that was there and then is suddenly dead, and the gruesome description of their body.

It’s definitely a boo with some disturbing images, some profanity, and a lot of realism. It’s almost like a dream, as you float along with the author, both before, during, and after the war. I have to think this book was very cathartic for him to write and I’d recommend it.