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pineconek 's review for:
Johnny Got His Gun
by Dalton Trumbo
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It feels so cliche to open this review with a line from that amazing Metallica song - you know the One (bah dum psht).
The premise of the novel is simple: a soldier awakens in a hospital and is sensorily cut off from the world. He can't see, he can't hear, he can't taste or smell. All his limbs are gone. He's effectively kept alive only by machines and is trapped alone in the darkness of his mind.
(Landmine has taken my sight taken my speech taken my hearing taken my arms taken my legs taken my soul)
Going in, I wondered if there would be enough material to fill a book where the sole character interacts with no one. While I did find that some of the descriptions of his mundane memories tedious to read, I understood that they were there as a contrast to the horror and impossibility of his situation. That said, there were also moments (that I won't spoil for you) that starkly surprised me.
Recommended if you're interested in how human minds can try to hold themselves together when in isolation and are prepared to face that kind of claustrophobia. 3.5 stars on SG rounded down to 3 on GR.
The premise of the novel is simple: a soldier awakens in a hospital and is sensorily cut off from the world. He can't see, he can't hear, he can't taste or smell. All his limbs are gone. He's effectively kept alive only by machines and is trapped alone in the darkness of his mind.
(Landmine has taken my sight taken my speech taken my hearing taken my arms taken my legs taken my soul)
Going in, I wondered if there would be enough material to fill a book where the sole character interacts with no one. While I did find that some of the descriptions of his mundane memories tedious to read, I understood that they were there as a contrast to the horror and impossibility of his situation. That said, there were also moments (that I won't spoil for you) that starkly surprised me.
Recommended if you're interested in how human minds can try to hold themselves together when in isolation and are prepared to face that kind of claustrophobia. 3.5 stars on SG rounded down to 3 on GR.