It seemed to him ever more insistently that he and Valette were dead, that they'd died long before, with a bullet in their heads in some far-off wadi.It seemed to him ever more insistently that he and Valette were dead, that they'd died long before, with a bullet in their heads in some far-off wadi.
This is one of the best (the best?) novels I've read about the disorientation of soldiers feel, after experiencing extremes of bloody conflict, when they return to the 'normality' of civilian life. The novel much more understated and less sentimental than other novels I've read on the subject.
This novel perfectly captures the complete dislocation between those returning from the war, and those who never left. I love it for the way it refuses to provide relief or redemption. The soldiers feel ennui and despair when returning to their homes on leave, and cynicism and helplessness when they must return once more to a war they know is pointless and unpopular and that will probably kill them....more
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