The Barracks Thief

THE BARRACKS THIEF

by Tobias Wolff

 

Award: PEN/Faulkner Winner 1985

 

Date Read: September 28, 2020

 

In clean and simple prose, Wolff delves into the minds of several recruits who are being trained for the Vietnam War. In a mere 100 pages, he wrestles with the ills of American society and the broader implications of a war no one wanted to fight and knew we couldn’t win. On the other side of the spectrum, we see another character, Keith, being absorbed into the counter-culture of the 60s.

 

The young Army recruits, Philip, Hubbard and Lewis, are faced with ambiguous instructions, blind obedience, protesters and a pervasive loneliness and desire for belonging that propels them to actions they most likely would never have taken if the circumstances were different. I have a certain amount of compassion for these young men, who try to honor the commitment they made in such an uncertain time.

 

In Lewis’ case, he makes a disaster of his brief military career, becoming the barracks thief, ending what little promise, or possibly certain death, that awaited him. His ennui is palpable and his internal struggles show how limited intellect combined with a strong desire to belong can combust into a life mistake. Lewis realizes too late that, “"Nothing will ever be the way it could have been. Whatever happens, it will always be a little less."

 

In these short 100 pages, Wolff has managed to accomplish more than some writers do in 500. No word is superfluous and no scene unnecessary. Wolff is truly a master of his craft.

 

Looking Forward: Old School

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Gentleman In Moscow

Image
A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles   Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2018, Goodreads Finalist 2016, Kirkus Finalist 2016   Date Read: February 24, 2017   From Kirkus Reviews:   “Sentenced to house arrest in Moscow's Metropol Hotel by a Bolshevik tribunal for writing a poem deemed to encourage revolt, Count Alexander Rostov nonetheless lives the fullest of lives, discovering the depths of his humanity.   Inside the elegant Metropol, located near the Kremlin and the Bolshoi, the Count slowly adjusts to circumstances as a "Former Person." He makes do with the attic room, to which he is banished after residing for years in a posh third-floor suite. A man of refined taste in wine, food, and literature, he strives to maintain a daily routine, exploring the nooks and crannies of the hotel, bonding with staff, accepting the advances of attractive women, and forming what proves to be a deeply meaningful relationship with a spirited young girl, Nina. "We are bound to find comfo
Read more

An Island

Image
AN ISLAND by Karen Jennings   Nomination: Booker Longlist 2021   Date Read: December 10, 2022   A short but mighty novel, An Island explores the concept of home, family, identity, the impact of political upheaval and the immigrant experience, when one’s suffering is so intense they move from one shitty country to the next. Samuel has finally found a peaceful home on an island somewhere off the coast of Africa. He was hired as a lighthouse keeper and after a tumultuous life, most of which was spent in prison as a political prisoner, he has carved out a life for himself on this island, enjoying a tranquil existence that basks in the quiet tasks of daily living.   Only after exploring Samuel’s life does the reader understand why such an isolated, spare and lonely existence satisfy him, with no desire to escape but only to grow deeper roots. His life witnessed the end of the British occupation, the installation of a brutal dictator and yet another dictator after the first was poisoned. Sam
Read more

The Changeling

Image
THE CHANGELING by Victor LaValle   Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2019, LA Times Finalist 2017, PEN/Jean Stein Finalist 2018   Date Read: July 21, 2024   From Kirkus Reviews: “A  tragedy thrusts a mourning father into peculiar, otherworldly corners of New York City. When Apollo and Emma have their baby, Brian, it feels like both reward and challenge for the new dad. Apollo, the son of a single mother, had been scraping by as a bookseller who hunts estate and garage sales for rare first editions, so even the unusual circumstance of Brian's birth (in a stalled subway train) seems like a blessing, as does the way Apollo stumbles across a first edition of  To Kill a Mockingbird  (inscribed by Harper Lee to Truman Capote, no less) shortly after. But after some young-parent squabbles and inexplicable images on their smartphones foreshadow trouble, the story turns nightmarish: Apollo finds himself tied up and beaten by Emma, then forced to listen to the sounds of Brian’s murder. LaValle has
Read more