This book is the story of John Parrish's year in Vietnam. It's written in something of an unusual way in that the author occasionally veers off into dreams/nightmares and philosophizing without warning. His descent into seeing patients pragmatically was understandable but sad. The war pushed the author to a point where he didn't want to see patients that would take a long time, or a bad head wound would be pushed into a corner where they waited to die.
I want to mention briefly the "gritty" nature of the writing. I was surprised by the level of detail when it came to the sexual moments in the book. Usually, I can overlook a short mention of it, but this went on for pages at times. I'm something of a prude, so I wanted to mention it. Since the author is a doctor, I suspect he doesn't have the same qualms I do.
The book ends somewhat abruptly, and while you know he made it home, it would have been nice to know how he adjusted once he got back. Did he tell his wife what happened and what he went through? We don't really find out. In the acknowledgements, he gives her credit for her patience and tolerance, so she must have still been in his life.
Overall, I didn't really enjoy this one as much as some of the others. I found the repetition of certain topics (prostitution, sex, VD, etc.) was a bit much for me. I think if you're in the mood for a gritty account, and you're not a prude, you might enjoy this book more than I did.
No comments:
Post a Comment