By Mari Miyachi
Tim O'Brien is best known for his collection of short stories called The Things They Carried. However, his strong ability to capture the essence of war is not limited to that work. In Going After Cacciato, O'Brien continues to explore the human psyche in Vietnam.
I have never been overwhelmingly compelled to read novels about war. In fact, for a long time, I did my best to avoid such books, mostly frightened by the prospect of gore and graphic violence. Going After Cacciato proves to be a captivating and clever story that manages to encompass not only the physical brutality of combat, but also the mentality of the soldiers on the ground.
The protagonist, Paul Berlin, is a young man recently deployed to fight in Vietnam. The year is 1968, when confusion about the Viet Cong and their guerrilla tactics were at their height. Berlin is no stereotypical soldier: he is overwhelmed with fear and unsure of purpose. Indeed, he is nearly inspired when one soldier in his brigade, Cacciato, goes AWOL with the fabulous and outlandish intention of reaching Paris. What follows is a series of events that take Berlin and his comrades on a fascinating journey through time, as the reader witnesses the inner workings of a man torn between his individual being and his call to duty.
Going After Cacciato, just like Paul Berlin, is not an ordinary war story. My first qualm with novels about war and fighting is that they will dehumanize the people involved. O'Brien does just the opposite. He writes with two threads: one with Berlin as the narrator and the other with himself, the result being a multi-dimensional portrayal of the logic and illogic of war, and how the two vie for dominance.
I give Going After Cacciato an 8 out of 10. O'Brien tells a complex tale that I believe puts an interesting and fresh perspective on the Vietnam War. I especially recommend this book to those who lived through that war, but anyone interested in the time period, or aware or involved in the controversial war of this era, will enjoy this story.
The writer is an Andover resident and student at Phillips Academy who writes reviews for young adults.
