This is one of those rare books that is difficult for me to review. I realized by the end of the book that I had been dreaming my grandfather, a Vietnam veteran, into the story, with the characters. I often found myself wondering, after reading an interview with the author, about what was true and what wasn't. Then I realized that it didn't matter. It was all real in one way or another, in a way that transcended what O'Brien calls the "happening-truth". By the end of the story, I was doing exactly what O'Brien had done; creating a space, a story, trying to save my grandfather's life in story the same way he had done for Linda and the various other characters.

My review falls short. In its barest essence, this is a book everyone needs to read. I feel like my grandfather's war, Tim's war, is the same in its barest components as my husband's war in Iraq. I'll never understand, but in this way, perhaps I can at least see.